Scale
by More Than I Appear
Summary: Sai's making the effort to get along with Sasuke but even his patience has its limits. Elsewhere, Naruto is determined to see his deal with Tsunade through to the end but things spiral out of his control once the Kyuubi makes an appearance.
1. Downsized

First off, I'd like to announce a fanart contest. If you wish to participate, please click on my profile as all the guidelines are there. Hurry though- the clock is ticking and AnimeExpo looms ever closer.

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**Chapter One: Downsized**

There is something to be said about walking into your bedroom and not screaming bloody murder after finding a battle already in progress.

Even more so considering the participants.

Naruto Uzumaki stood rooted in the doorway and felt his eyebrow twitch, blue eyes wide and incredulous as he watched Sasuke drive the snake back with a graceful swing of his katana. The brunette back-flipped and darted sideways using one of the scattered empty ramen cups that littered the floor as cover as he hurled kunai smaller than thumbtacks at the serpent now hiding behind the room's tipped over trash can.

_ It's__ official- I have fucking lost my mind…_ The blonde rubbed at his eyes, blinked, then rubbed again. He looked around, bewildered gaze coming to rest on the familiar landmarks of his unmade bed, his nightstand, his weapons chest and the doors to bathroom and clothes closet. Everything was as he had left it this morning except for the knocked over trash can, the snake, and Sasuke Uchiha.

A very small Sasuke Uchiha.

Naruto wondered if he had hit his head at some point during his mission or if his sleep deprivation over Tsunade's proclamation had finally caught up to him.

The snake hissed, the sound making the hair on the back of the blonde's neck stand up, and crossed the room with lightning speed. Fangs dripping venom flashed, the reptile using the trash as cover to protect itself from the shuriken the Uchiha tossed at it, closing in on the small body with predatory grace, weaving and dodging Sasuke's attacks with ease. Naruto could move and before he could consciously will it, his hand was moving, making kunai suddenly rain down upon the snake, slicing the slim body into chunky pieces.

"Sasuke?" Frowning, Naruto lowered his hand, and moved slowly into the room, eyes hunting for the little oddity amidst the trash. He'd lost sight of the Uchiha once the blonde had attacked the snake and so Naruto stepped carefully, using his toes to nudge crumbled papers gently out of his path, eyes searching warily for any sign of Sasuke's white kimono coat or that God-awful purple bow the Uchiha wore as a belt. Apparently, when you were as diminutive as Sasuke currently was, there were plenty of places to hide even in Naruto's small bedroom. With the metallic stench of bloody raw meat and the acrid stench of poison from the damn snake clogging his nose, he couldn't sniff the other out. With the rain coming through the open window pelting the sill and pattering onto the floor, he couldn't hear the other's heartbeat either. Naruto could detect nothing that betrayed the brunette's presence and, frustrated, the blonde stomped over to the window and slammed it shut before returning to his previous spot, focusing on the ramen cup he had seen the Uchiha disappear behind during the battle.

"Hn." Naruto almost missed it, the tiny answer was so soft and it was only due to his enhanced hearing that he did manage to detect it. The cup was shoved and rolled away to reveal Sasuke as he sheathed his katana, putting his hands on his hips. Even only several inches tall, the Uchiha still managed to look down his nose at the blonde as they stared at one another, and, warily, Naruto sank to one knee, brain attempting to process this strange situation and failing. There were so many emotions clamoring- rioting- inside him that it made it impossible to concentrate enough to pick one out and so the blonde's expression remained blank despite the memories and questions nagging at him. The pair stared at one another and the longer it went on, the more those questions and memories tried to force their way into the forefront of Naruto's mind but the blonde mentally shoved them aside, unwilling to disturb the peace in the room.

Sasuke took a step toward him, drawing the blonde's attention as he did so, and Naruto drank in the sight despite the inherent anger that tried to rear up over the Sound uniform.

"You're so small." The comment slipped out before the blonde could catch it and he watched the Uchiha bristle, lip curling up in an attempt to look haughty even as a light blush spread across his cheeks. It was true though and Naruto couldn't help but marvel at the brunette's current size, a whole whopping six inches. The urge to reach out and touch Sasuke, to physically prove that the other was there, was so strong that it made Naruto's hand itch terribly and he had to curl his fingers into a fist to prevent the action.

But then the glaring brunette began to list to the side unexpectedly and without conscious thought Naruto's hand shot out to catch him, cupping around the small form as he pulled the other closer for examination. Sasuke was heavy in his palm, heavier than the blonde would have thought given his size, and part of Naruto wondered if it was an illusion created by the heat pouring off of the Uchiha. The normally pale skin was flushed and sweaty, the Uchiha's breathing even but labored, and Naruto lifted Sasuke higher, bringing him closer for a better look.

"Sasuke?" Naruto said loudly, only at the last minute remembering not to shout. Advertising the presence of a missing ninja, especially now, would not be helpful to either of them. "Teme, what's wrong?"

The question was redundant. Sasuke was right under his nose and Naruto could feel the Uchiha's hands trying to shove his nostrils away as the blonde inhaled strongly. Several more delicate sniffs followed as Naruto ignored Sasuke's continued protests, the blonde concentrating on analyzing the information being presented. Underneath the potent scent of snake was the sharp, searing scent of poison as was the coppery sweetness of Sasuke's blood but both were faint, old, mingled with the greasy smell of an herbal salve.

"Dobe," The tiny figure hissed, again pushing at the tip of Naruto's nose. When that didn't work to drive him off, Sasuke gripped the sides of Naruto's nostrils and sank his nails in.

"You've been bitten." Wincing as Sasuke's fingers clawed into the skin of his right nostril, Naruto moved his hand so that he could look relatively eye to eye with the brunette. "Not by this snake but another one and now the poison is spreading."

Even as he spoke, his free hand was pulling at Sasuke's clothing, tugging the purple bow free and opening the Uchiha's shirt with suddenly clumsy fingers that seemed too thick as he hunted for the tell-tale wound. When a cursory glance of the sweating Uchiha's chest revealed nothing, Naruto flipped the other over as gently as possible, easily manipulating Sasuke's body despite the other's protests. Once the flushed back was exposed, Naruto had his answer and he stared at the twin almost delicate looking furrows where a snake's fangs had grazed his friend. The physical damage of the actual wound wasn't much, easily treated by the hasty patch job Sasuke had done, but it still could have been enough to deliver a fatal dose of poison. As Naruto stared worriedly at the angry red lines radiating out from the twin furrows, debating with himself about the best course of action, Sasuke passed out.

Cursing a streak that should have had the paint blistering on the walls of his apartment, Naruto shot to his feet and began gathering supplies at breakneck speed, racing through his apartment in a way that implied practiced ease as he sought the items he would need to heal his injured friend. Determination made his expression hard and cold as he efficiently began setting things out on his kitchen table.

He hadn't gotten Sasuke back from one snake only to loose him to another, damn it.

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Night had fallen outside but Naruto had closed all the blinds and kept the lights off anyway. By the light of a candle, the blonde carefully replaced the damp cloth covering Sasuke's forehead then began dabbing gently at the brunette's skin with a Q-tip to rid the pale expanse of sweat. He had already stripped the Uchiha and redressed his wounds; now all that was left to do was to ride out the night and help Sasuke fight the poison circulating through his veins. Naruto picked up another Q-tip and dipped it in the shallow bowl of water he'd been using all afternoon and momentarily transferred the cotton tipped stave to his non-dominate hand. He picked up the pair of tweezers with his right and removed the already dry towel from the small brunette's brow to replace it with a fresh one. Pulling back the towel, Naruto swabbed Sasuke again in an attempt to help the other's fevered skin cool off.

Currently, Sasuke was asleep on a folded clean hand towel, a flap of which was also serving as a blanket to keep him warm. Other than the gauze wrappings, the Uchiha was nude and Naruto watched the remains of the brunette's outfit smolder in an ashtray with a glee he hadn't felt in a very long time. Just to be safe, the blonde dribbled wax over the mess in the dish and then set the flame to it again, further incinerating the ash. There- now all of Sasuke's Sound clothes were dust.

Naruto smiled and gave into his need to touch his traitorous friend, carefully stroking the pad of his fingertip against the Uchiha's short dark hair.

Sasuke was here! He was _back_ in one, if small, piece! The blonde nearly burst with the excited rush of adrenaline singing through his frame, chasing away any lingering feelings of fatigue from his mission and the depression that had descended earlier that week. Sasuke was here and he had come to Naruto for help. The blonde was deeply touched by this and had to restrain himself from picking the other up and cuddling him. Tsunade had publicly announced that traitors wouldn't be tolerated in Konoha and that treason carried a death sentence, period. This meant that Kill-On-Sight orders had been issued for both Itachi and Sasuke Uchiha. Even if they returned carrying the heads of all of Konoha's enemies and pledged loyalty, there would be no chance for rehabilitation, only execution.

Naruto was not about to let Sasuke die, not now, no way. Once Naruto became Hokage he'd repeal Tsunade's law and allow Sasuke to publicly 'come home' and pledge allegiance to the Village. Until then, the blonde would just have to convince the Uchiha to take advantage of his small size stay in the apartment secretly.

Putting his tools down, Naruto picked up an eyedropper and the open vial next to it, concentrating on keeping his hands steady as he sucked up a small drop of the liquid into the dropper. That done, he slid a hand under Sasuke's towel and shifted the brunette into a semi-reclined position that tipped the brunette's head back, the blond supporting the minor weight easily as he used the dropper to feed the Uchiha a general anti-venom cocktail. The glare Sasuke shot him would have made plastic flowers wilt but he drank the greenish liquid without much protest and Naruto couldn't help the cheeky grin he beamed down at the other. Setting the eyedropper aside, Naruto awkwardly capped the vial one handed and put it back into his first aid kit in its proper slot next to his other emergency medical supplies.

"Are you thirsty?" The blonde asked, unconsciously whispering. Size and the danger of discovery aside, there was just something about being in the vicinity of an injured person that made hushed voices mandatory. Naruto thought that this must be due to some sort of social failsafe; if you're injured, the last thing you needed was to have some idiot shouting at you, making you feel worse.

Sasuke frowned, his eyes closed, but he didn't refuse the offered drink and Naruto silently used the eyedropper again to suck up a drop of clean water from the glass he had set aside just for that purpose. The blonde concentrated on holding still, letting the narrow glass tube hover just above the brunette's mouth, allowing the Uchiha to drink at his own pace. For his trouble, the blonde received a weak glare, but Sasuke did drink down the cool liquid, slumping back against the towel when he was through.

Laying the brunette slowly back down on the table, Naruto captured the other's hand, holding it gently between his thumb and forefinger, completely hiding Sasuke's fingers from view in the process. The blonde was unsure as to how much pressure he could or should apply since he could inadvertently crush the appendage so easily, maiming the Uchiha for life. Ignoring both Sasuke's startled jerk and the angry glare immediately directed up at him, Naruto began channeling a thin thread of healing chakra into the dainty appendage, watching as the Uchiha's outraged face quickly went slack as he relaxed, gradually becoming more and more drowsy. Ten minutes later, the blonde stopped the flow of chakra between them and for a while just watched the small chest move up and down in the steady rhythm of sleep. He tucked Sasuke's hand back under the towel flap and pulled the make-shift blanket higher to keep the other safe from the draft in the room.

He stood and stretched, suppressing a groan as he listened to his realigning bones pop back into place. Mindful of disturbing Sasuke, Naruto cleared off the table as quietly as possible, gathering up the used equipment and taking it all into the kitchen for washing. When he was done he dumped the ashy remains of Sasuke's Oto clothing down the drain then ran the garbage disposal. Overkill? Absolutely, but listening to the blades clattering as the ash slipped through was still incredibly satisfying.

When he had laid everything out to dry, Naruto filled his largest mixing bowl with soapy water, grabbed a sponge, and, after checking on Sasuke, headed into his bedroom to clean up the bloody remains of the snake. It took longer than he planned but soon the gory mess was nothing but a dark drying stain on the floorboards and he sighed in mild relief, happy that it was gone. He spent a little more time on the floor with a pair of needle-nosed pliers, working the smattering of tiny shuriken and kunai he found out of the floorboards with care, listening to the soft _thunk_they made as he added each to the plastic cup he held. Sasuke's katana was in there as well, and when Naruto had gathered all the miniature weaponry, the blonde set the cup high on a shelf in his closet and hid it behind a stack of folded spare blankets. Once all evidence of the battle had been collected, Naruto righted the trash can and collected the spilled trash littering his floor, then mopped up the wet patch that had gathered under the open window the Uchiha had used as an entrance. Eyes taking in the rain pelting the buildings of Konoha and wary of more potential visitors, Naruto made sure the window was all the way down and locked it before closing the blinds.

Leaving his room, Naruto returned to the kitchen and dumped the bowl of bloody water down the sink and tossed the ruined sponge in the garbage. Quickly washing his hands, the blonde checked on Sasuke before returning to his room again to rummage through his closet, hunting for the empty shoebox he knew was in there somewhere. When he finally found it, he gave a triumphant cry, belatedly remembering the sleeping Uchiha in the other room afterward, and in silent apology, Naruto added a second folded towel to the box's lining as he walked back to the kitchen table. Then, with exaggerated care, he slid his hands beneath the towel Sasuke rested on and placed both it and the brunette in the shoebox. There, now Sasuke had a bed to sleep in!

And just like that, the excitement that had been powering the blonde began to dissipate, leaving exhaustion in its wake. Stumbling, Naruto retrieved his tweezers from the kitchen counter where he had set them to air dry and exchanged the tiny swath of cloth on the Uchiha's head with a fresh wet one. Rinsing the eyedropper one last time to remove any traces of soap, the blonde used it to clumsily give his friend another draught of water before carefully picking up the shoebox and heading to his bedroom, blowing out the candle on his way past it.

Since putting the brunette on the bed would be too dangerous, Naruto opened the top two drawers of his night stand, clearing space for the shoe box by transferring some of the contents of the first drawer into the second. When enough room had been made, the blonde used his foot to close the second drawer and set the box gently in the topmost drawer. Naruto looked it over and felt like sighing. It wouldn't do as a permanent placement for the Uchiha's bed but for tonight it would suffice. The blonde would just have to go shopping tomorrow or something for a more comfortable bed for Sasuke to sleep in… and maybe some furniture that Naruto could convert into a place when his friend could have some privacy.

With Sasuke settled as best as Naruto could manage, there was nothing left for the blonde to do but go to sleep. Sighing, he sank onto the bed and laid down, blue eyes glued to the box as sharp ears remained alert for any sounds of distress. Even though he heard nothing, Naruto still sat up a few minutes later and once again checked on the Uchiha, pulling the other's makeshift blanket higher, tucking the edges around Sasuke's sleeping form when the brunette turned onto his side and partially curled up. Naruto smiled at the sight and stroked the dark hair carefully before returning to his own bed, blue eyes trained on the ceiling.

The questions that had been plaguing him all evening were rising up, buzzing loudly in his brain, and chasing sleep away. He tried to ignore them, promising himself that tomorrow he would get some answers from his new house guest but they would not be denied, and he stared at the ceiling, unconsciously tracking Sasuke's soft regular breathing.

Too tired to move but too awake to sleep, Naruto lay awake until dawn.

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A/N: Please review and give me your opinion _on this story_. Seriously, it was inspired by, of all things, a small display model of a tent, and I'm not sure what to do with it.


	2. Small Adjustments

**Chapter 2: Small Adjustments**

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What the hell was that noise?!

The one thing that he hadn't missed while in Oto was being woken by the sun. He had hated having the bright rays stab his eyes through his eyelids and, since everything in Orochimaru's hidden village was underground, he had not had to deal with the uncomfortable sensation in quite some time. Judging from the strength of the sunlight struggling to get past the blinds, it was around midmorning when Sasuke finally woke.

The sound of logs being sawed nearby kept derailing his thoughts as the brunette blinked up at the white painted ceiling and struggled to figure out where he was. On his journey to Konoha he had avoided buildings since not only did he risk discovery and capture by some curious idiot but also due to the fact that buildings attracted the attention of animals. Fire Country had a mild temperature all year round and the rats and insects were big enough to cause even Sasuke, trained ninja extraordinaire, a hard time if one of them decided to make him a meal. This was why Sasuke had staunchly remained in the forest on his exhaustive journey back to the Leaf Village and had only slipped inside inhabited areas when absolutely necessary….

Sleep tried to suck him under but every time his eyelids shut they would pop open again as the damnably loud sound continued to fill the room. What the hell was it? It almost sounded like snoring magnified to terrible proportions, like that of a giant…

I n a rush, the events of yesterday swept over him and he immediately struggled to sit up, unable to repress the wince that flittered across his features as he did so. Grabbing hold of the side of his bed he peered out at the room and its huge furnishings, warily scanning his surroundings and finding the source of the irritating noise grating on his nerves.

Naruto, fast asleep, was snoring away as he lay on his bed. He was on his back, still fully dressed and even wearing his sandals, as if changing into some more comfortable clothing had just been beyond him last night. Feeling his lips curling into the beginnings of a haughty sneer but Sasuke quelled the expression, realizing that the blonde was probably entitled to some leniency in judgment after coming home to such a surprise.

Though he would never admit it aloud, Naruto had taken the whole situation amazingly well in the Uchiha's estimation.

The click of a lock turning caught Sasuke's attention and the brunette suddenly realized how exposed he was in his current position. Looking over the side of his bed he felt the world spin with vertigo and immediately ruled out the possibility jumping to the ground. Crawling onto the top of the surface next to him would do him no good either since there was nothing to hide behind though he might be able to leap onto the bed from there if pressed. Hiding under his covers was a possibility but part of him cringed at the very idea, making memories of his childhood try to surface much to his ire.

"Naruto?" It was Sakura's voice and part of the Uchiha frowned at this even as he quickly climbed onto the large flat area next to his bed. Cursing Naruto's lack of forethought, Sasuke tried to suppress a pained groan and failed. Though his body had become resistant to an array of poisons, the massive amount he had received was taxing even his resistant system and Sasuke grit his teeth to muffle any pain sounds as he ran as fast as he could toward Naruto's bed, ears trained on the sound of the front door opening.

The moment he was airborne, Sasuke's stomach seemed to drop out the bottom of his feet. It was a peculiar sensation the brunette had never experienced before but decided was warranted once he realized that he had misjudged the distance from his launch pad to the bed and began plummeting to the ground several inches shy of the nearest edge of the comforter.

_ Fuck!_ He thought, preparing himself for impact with the floor but, before he could hit, something smacked into his side, scooping him upward in the process until he was deposited heavily on the blonde's chest. Naruto's fingers remained curled loosely around him as Sasuke groaned, put his head in his hands and fought not to be sick.

The blonde continued to sleep on, snoring away as if nothing had happened.

Footsteps sounded in the hallway, alerting the Uchiha that Sakura was about to walk in and see him. In a distinctly ungraceful, un-Uchiha, move, Sasuke swallowed his nausea down and scrambled up the blonde's chest until he abruptly ran out of 'ground,' tumbling to the mattress to be hidden behind an orange-clad shoulder. The Uchiha crouched down, using his friend's wild blonde hair and pale blue pillow as cover before hastily slapping a hand over his mouth in an effort to keep his roiling stomach from exposing him.

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"Naruto? You awake?" The door to the bedroom opened slowly and Sakura quietly stepped into the room, a shy smile gracing her lips as her eyes came to rest on the bed, her body following until she stood by the blonde's feet.

"Finally getting some sleep huh? About time." She whispered affectionately, her smile gradually fading as she took in his appearance. "Silly- didn't even take off your shoes."

Deftly, the kunoichi began divesting him of his shoes, undoing the main straps and pulling the foot ware free one at a time before carrying them from the room. After dropping them next to his front door, she made a quick visit to the blonde's linen closet to grab one of his spare blankets and returned to the room. Sharply shaking out the folds with practiced motions, she threw the covering over her teammate, pulling at the corners until he was properly protected from the slight draft in the room.

Then she crawled onto the bed carefully and laid beside him, laying her head on his chest. The rise and fall of his chest under her cheek was steady and reassuring on a multitude of levels, the sound of his heart beating beneath her ear a great comfort. Gently placing an arm over him, Sakura snuggled closer into his larger body, closed her eyes and just breathed in Naruto's scent, existing solely in that moment as she let the worried thoughts plaguing her slip away.

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Sakura stayed for so long that Sasuke feared she had fallen asleep while draped over the blonde, and despite how concerned he was about being discovered, he could not fully suppress the flash of jealousy that shot through his small body.

Naruto was his, dammit! The kunoichi had no right to be so familiar!

He stayed hidden, however, trying to ignore the possessive anger simmering at his core, and silently cursed Orochimaru to hell and back for the Sannin's incessant, insatiable sense of curiosity. It was entirely possible that Sasuke would continue to be stuck like this for a long, irritating while and it was all the snake loving man's fault. If it wasn't for the fact that Orochimaru had befallen the same fate as that of the Uchiha, Sasuke would still be in Sound, breathing down the Sannin's neck for a cure.

Several minutes crept by with Sasuke stewing about the apparent encroachment on his rightful territory as well as his current situation but then he heard Sakura sigh, the bed shifting as she climbed off of it to stand on the floor. Using Naruto's hair as camouflage, the Uchiha watched her stretch languidly before tidying the dobe's blanket again.

Sasuke dived for cover, squeezing himself into the narrow space between the nape of Naruto's neck and the mattress, as Sakura leaned forward to place a light kiss against a tan cheek. "Sleep well Naruto. I'll let Tsunade-seisho know to give you some time off- she knows you took her pronouncement about Sasuke-kun hard."

Pronouncement? What pronouncement?

He watched her needlessly smooth the blanket a second time then exit the room but not the apartment since, moment's later, the loud sound of pots clinking together could be heard from the kitchen shortly followed by the scent of food cooking.

Able to relax, if only for a moment, Sasuke crawled out from his hiding spot and slumped forward against the tanned skin of Naruto's neck, oddly comforted by the feel of the steady beat of the blonde's pulse beneath the warm skin against Sasuke's bandaged chest. He had forgotten how soothing the blonde' presence could be if only the loud mouth would shut the hell up for a few minutes and felt himself relax even though all the activity had made his wounds ache. Naruto was always so warm, as if he's just been out in the sun and had absorbed not only the heat but also the scent of a summer's day, an intangible something that could invoke memories of summer even in the coldest winters. That smell, mixed in with the smells of sweat and grass and the faintly musky scent of Naruto's own body, made a unique perfume that was somehow both energizing and relaxing at the same time. The Uchiha didn't understand it at all but he was sure that if someone could bottle the formula they'd make a fortune and as Naruto continued to snore away, the sound reverberating slightly through Sasuke's small frame, the brunette rubbed his cheek slowly against the tanned skin in an effort to both mix it with his own and absorb some of it.

He listened as Sakura puttered around in the kitchen, cooking a meal presumably for Naruto and herself, and had to contemplate the idea that his former teammates may have become a couple in his absence. It was not impossibly- actually it made a lot of sense that they would seek comfort in each other while he was gone. Naruto had had a crush on Sakura for years, had made numerous attempts to woo the kunoichi in their genin days so perhaps he had finally succeeded in becoming her boyfriend. This was the natural progression of such a close bond, after all.

It was not a happy thought and Sasuke felt his blood boil as sounds continued to emanate from the kitchen. He pressed his body further against the tanned skin underneath him.

What was he going to do if they were a couple? He was less than a foot tall- what on earth could he offer Naruto that would make him a better… Boyfriend? Lover? Whatever. What made him a better mate than Sakura? Was Naruto even gay? If he was, would he want a relationship with Sasuke if he knew of the Uchiha's feelings? If he wasn't, given the history between them, what would Sasuke do if the very idea gave Naruto an excuse to abandon the brunette once and for all?

Inexplicably the urge to cry rose within Sasuke but he smothered it, telling himself that he shouldn't be so easily affected by the discomfort of his minor wounds.

Footsteps in the hallway forced the Uchiha to seek cover again in his previously vacated spot. Sakura returned, a folded piece of paper in her hand as she strode over to the nightstand and set it down. Expression curious, the kunoichi picked up the shoe box that had served as Sasuke's bed and began carefully removing the towels inside it. Frowning, obviously puzzled over its emptiness, she quietly closed the drawer of the nightstand, put the now empty shoebox in the trashcan, and tossed the towels onto the pile of dirty laundry in Naruto's bathroom.

_ Leave! _Sasuke silently willed her to go so that he could finally come out and stay there. His wounds, already aching, were starting to burn from his cramped position and the heat the blonde radiated was starting to bring back the nausea he'd thought conquered earlier. _Just go!_

And eventually she did. After spending several more minutes of aimlessly puttering around, Sakura finally left, shutting the door to the bedroom behind her as she did so. Sasuke remained hidden, ears straining until he finally heard the front door lock, signaling her complete departure. With a gasp he practically threw himself on top of the blonde's chest, the highest and thus coolest point, and sat there panting for breath as he waited for the heat clinging to him to dissipate. Unfortunately, the excess warmth wasn't going away and with no small amount of annoyance the Uchiha realized that his body had not finished getting rid of the snake's poison.

"Naruto?" He loathed how weak he sounded with that one word. Straightening from his slumped position between the blonde's pecks, Sasuke cleared his throat, sucked in a deep breath and yelled. "Dobe, get up already!"

The brunette put a hand to his head in a futile effort to ward off the pounding headache developing around his temples. There was a reason why he didn't shout, why he made every effort to speak evenly and softly in what little conversation he actually participated in! The headache just got worse but Sasuke resisted the need to clutch his head.

Naruto snorted but did not stir and the brunette growled in irritation. Stupid Dobe! With some difficulty Sasuke got his legs under him, staggered forward, grabbed the blonde's lip, and began tugging on it. When the other didn't immediately rouse, he began twisting the flesh in his grip.

"Sashkay?" Naruto came awake with a snort and a jerk, sending the miniature Uchiha stumbling backwards to fall on his ass as a turn of the blonde head pulled his lip free of Sasuke's grasp. Naruto made to sit up but at the brunette's hissed warning not to, remained still, one hand coming up to rub the sleep from his eyes. "Wass wrong?"

Wincing, the brunette put a hand to his head once again as the room began to spin wildly. Damn poison! Damn Orochimaru! Sasuke opened his mouth to speak, to say the biting retort about responsibility and secrecy forming in his mind but, somehow, during the journey from brain to mouth, the original comment mutated into something that suspiciously sounded like, "I don't feel so good."

Naruto's beautiful blue eyes opened fully and sharpened as his lips turned down in a frown. The brunette had trouble concentrating being the focus of the other's attention. It wasn't the blonde's staring that was the issue- no, it was the pleasant warmth spreading through Sasuke's small frame that was proving incredibly difficult to ignore. It had nothing to do with the poison; it was simply the heady knowledge that at this moment, he was Naruto's priority.

"Okay," the blonde murmured gently and offered the other his hand. "I've got some medicine that'll help. Just hold on, okay?"

The brunette nodded wearily in response and climbed into Naruto's waiting palm, gripping the tan thumb next to him for precautionary support. Sasuke nodded again to indicate he was ready and Naruto immediately lifted him skyward out of the way as the blonde tossed back the blanket with his free hand, swung his legs over the side of the bed and stood. Naruto brought the hand Sasuke sat in up to his chest, letting Sasuke have the added support of his upper body to lay against. The brunette promptly took advantage of it, slumping against the expanse as he gripped large handfuls of the blonde's shirt for additional support.

"Why are you out of be… Oh, hey, where'd the shoebox go?"

"Sakura stopped by and threw it out." Sasuke said loudly, knowing he sounded sulky but unable to do anything about it. He swallowed hard, pressed his forehead against the warm fabric, and clung as Naruto began moving around. They stopped for a minute in the bathroom so the blonde could grab the first aid kit then resumed their trip to the kitchen. Sasuke wasn't used to Naruto's gait and, though he had never had seasickness, the blonde's movements were making his stomach roil and knot in a suspiciously similar fashion. Fighting down the nausea occupied the Uchiha for most of the trip so when the blonde began talking again, it startled Sasuke.

"Yeah," Naruto said with a sigh. "She does that a lot lately."

Along with the mild irritation, there was a trace of affection in his voice but not the kind that spoke of a romantic relationship. More like… siblings? Close friends? Still, before Sasuke allowed himself to hope any further, he needed to know exactly what existed between his former teammates.

Heart beating wildly in his chest, the Uchiha cleared his throat, raised his voice and asked the question he had been dreading. "So, are you two together then?"

"What? No!" Naruto said and Sasuke could feel the other's surprise both through the blonde's chest and the hand beneath him. "No, she seems to think I need looking after so she lets herself in and does a little cleaning. She leaves me dinner if I'm not here or if I'm asleep. Does some laundry if I'm on a mission. Honestly, I'm not sure if she's adopted me as her younger brother or if I'm some pet."

"Pet?" Sasuke parroted, surprised and angered as he released his hold on Naruto's shirt in preparation for being set down. They were at Naruto's dinning table and the blonde carefully lowered his hand to let the Uchiha onto the cool wooden surface. To Sasuke's warm skin it felt wonderful and he gratefully sank to his knees to put as much of his body in contact as another wave of dizziness washed over him. Suddenly his irritation at Sakura was too hard to concentrate on and he let it go, for now, wiping the sweat suddenly in his eyes and giving in to the urge to lay down as the burning of his wounds increased.

Naruto caught him before he could hit the table and the blonde scooped him up again, helping the other settle firmly in his warm palm while ignoring Sasuke's attempts to crawl back out. "You're sweating like you have a fever but your skin is cold, teme!"

Dimly, the Uchiha knew that this was a bad sign. Sasuke had pushed himself to get here as fast as possible and now he was paying for it as his body, which thus far had managed to fend off the full effects of the poison during the journey here, was officially losing the battle to purge it from his system now that he was in Konoha. He'd only been grazed by the snake and the volume of poison in that bite ad been minimal in comparison to any he had received when normal sized but, apparently, being only six inches tall was having a negative impact concerning his ability to process the venom efficiently.

Vaguely, he wondered if Naruto would bury him in the same shoebox that had been his bed last night and had to fight down the wild urge to giggle.

The blonde's fingers closed over him, insulating him, and part of Sasuke- a part considerably far from his pride- decided that this was not a bad way to go. Here, safe within Naruto's hands, surrounded by the blonde's comforting scent, where it was warm and quiet and peaceful… This had not been an option he had considered when debating the manner of his death since he was a shinobi. This, though, this was okay. Good even, and in Naruto's palm the brunette pulled his knees up to his chest and wrapped his arms around them, closing his eyes as he settled down.

As if from far away, he heard Naruto cursing at him as the blonde moved around, could feel the hand he was in tighten around him seconds before he was plunged into scalding water. Well, it felt like scalding water to him and the Uchiha uncoiled in seconds, scrambling up the blonde's wrist to his forearm until he was far above the water line. Soaked and shivering, he glared at Naruto, sharingan blazing accusingly up at the blonde.

"You're like a fucking ice cube!" Naruto said, free hand trying to herd the other back down. "Get back into your bath and warm up!"

Bath? Sasuke, despite the prodding, refused to move and grabbed handholds of tanned skin to silently communicate his displeasure with his friend's attempts to dislodge him. Once he was relatively sure that Naruto wasn't going to knock him off, the Uchiha turned in the direction he had come, eyeing the large mixing bowl that Naruto's hand still lay in with distrust.

The blonde huffed. "You're cold. The water is warm. Get in, teme, so I can get your medicine."

"Where are my clothes?" The brunette demanded as the lack of covering finally penetrated his brain. Bandages clung to his torso wetly but that was it, the rest of him was only covered in water. How the hell could he be naked for this long and not notice?!

"I burned them." The note of pride in the other's voice was unmistakable.

"You _WHAT?!"_

Taking advantage of Sasuke's surprise, Naruto used this moment to quickly dump the little brunette unceremoniously into the 'bath' and step back out of the way. Sputtering in fury, his waterlogged bandages dragging him down, the Uchiha surfaced after his chaotic plunge and clung to the smooth lip of the mixing bowl. The water had warmed the metal, making it the same temperature as the liquid and much to hot for Sasuke to be comfortable with. After hastily shedding his bandages, he pushed off and paddled to the center of the bowl, glaring up at Naruto, not for a moment fooled by the innocent look the blonde shot him. As he continued to slowly tread water, Sasuke let the violent thoughts of vengeance he was thinking show plainly on his face, delighting in the way Naruto's expression faltered momentarily as the blonde pulled the kitchen chair over and sat down near by.

Sasuke inwardly declared victory; when it came to payback, size did not always matter. Paddling idly the brunette sighed, shooting an irritated look at the blonde. "I can't run around naked, dobe!"

Interestingly, Naruto's face went slack for a second as his thoughts wandered, the expression taking Sasuke by surprise and making his heart rate speed up. He had to fight down the inexplicable urge to blush as blue eyes focused on him again. Naruto's brain finally engaged and the blonde popped open the first aid kit, rifling through it to pull out a small vial and the medicine dropper. Enclosing the vial in his fist, Naruto gave it a vigorous shake, then unscrewed the cap and withdrew some of the liquid with the medicine dropper.

"Open up, teme." Naruto said, offering the liquid to the Uchiha, frowning when Sasuke rolled his eyes pointedly. But the Uchiha took the dose without further protest, drinking it all though it took several tries to do so when Naruto's hand wavered. Finished, the blonde put the vial back in the kit but left the dropper out to be cleaned.

"Yeah, yeah you're right." Naruto said, pushing the kit away, a hand reaching up to scratch the back of his head. He smiled sheepishly. "What if I folded a tea towel and cut a hole in it? You could use ribbon as a belt…"

He stopped, catching sight of Sasuke's glare of death.

"Right- no tea towels." Naruto sighed, putting his elbow on the table and propping his head on his fist. "So you need clothes. And a bed. And dishes."

"Dishes?" The water was cooling and becoming a much more comfortable temperature. Sasuke lay on his back and spread his arms out, letting the water take his weight as he floated and watched the blonde.

"Well its not like you can use any of the stuff in my cupboards. You'll drown trying to drink out of the cups and using the plates would be silly since there's no way you can eat the same amount of food. Hell, the chopsticks are big enough to be a spear for you!" Naruto paused, brow furrowing and Sasuke saw the fingers of the blonde's free hand begin extending as the list obviously continued even though Naruto had stopped speaking.

The chair scraped against the floorboards as Naruto pushed it out from the table and stood, his expression thoughtful. His hands formed the seal of the ram and seconds later an exact copy of the blonde appeared a few feet away.

"I've got to go shop…"

"Take me with you." Sasuke interjected, swimming over to the edge of the bowl. Now that he'd reached the blonde the Uchiha didn't want to be separated from the other. "Sakura may come back."

"No." Naruto said firmly as the clone came to stand behind him. "You're sick and its cold outside. The clone will look after you until I come back and will hide you if Sakura comes by."

"Leave it to me, dattebayo!" The clone said pumping a fist excitedly. This did nothing to assuage Sasuke's reservations and he stared at the copy dubiously as Naruto left the room briefly and returned.

"You'll be fine." Naruto said, dipping his hand into the Uchiha's bath and scooping Sasuke up gently. He had a small hand towel in his other hand and wrapped the warm fabric around the small form, insulating Sasuke from the cooler air of the room and helping to dry the Uchiha's hair by carefully rubbing the cloth covering it with his finger.

Naruto smiled, handing Sasuke over to his clone. "I'll see you in a little bit."

The blonde opened the door and threw a grin over his shoulder at Sasuke who was cradled between the clone's hands. Naruto paused, waiting pointedly, and the Uchiha finally realized just what the moron was hanging around for. Rolling his eyes pointedly, Sasuke freed an arm from the towel waved halfheartedly, looking away and hoping that the dobe didn't see the blush staining his cheeks. He heard Naruto laugh happily, the sound followed by the muted click of the door lock clicking into place as the door shut.

When the last of Naruto's footsteps had faded away, the clone looked down at him smiling mischievously, causing disquiet to settle heavily within the Uchiha's stomach.

"Now, let's see to your wounds and then go find you a tea towel to wear!"

Sasuke scowled darkly.


	3. Small Admissions

Disclaimer: They aren't mine, etc, etc. Don't sue me.

A/N: Sorry for the delay folks, life up and tackled me by surprise. Please enjoy and a heartfelt thank you to those who read this story. Cookies to those who review.

**Chapter Three: Small Admissions**

"Where's the clone?" Naruto asked, frowning, already knowing the answer but wanting to find out from Sasuke himself. The blonde eyed the little brunette lounging against his bedroom door jam, blonde eyebrows rising into his hair, wondering if his friend's sense of style had been corrupted by Orochimaru. The Uchiha had a swath of cloth wrapped around his waist that was knotted at a pale hip and that was it aside from the bandages around his chest. It made Sasuke look as if he was wearing an orange skirt of all things and the jinchuuriki frowned, trying to remember if he even owned an orange tea towel.

Sasuke shrugged, small shoulders only slightly stiff as the movement pulled his wounds. He had at least allowed the clone to rewrap his injuries before disposing of it and for that Naruto was grateful. "You took too long."

The blonde shifted the box in his hands, redistributing the heavy weight and listening to the pieces within slide around while the shopping bags dangling from his wrists rustled. Yeah, he was late but it had taken a while to get everything Sasuke would need during s stay, not to mention doing it all while remaining inconspicuous. Though he had done it all out of the goodness of his heart, after all that running around had tired him out and coming home to be chastised by a stupid skirt wearing teme… It did nothing to sweeten the blonde's already fairly sour mood. He responded to the brunette's comment with a very impatient, "So?"

"He tried to dress me in an inappropriate outfit and I stabbed him with a pin."

Naruto sighed, expecting as much. He frowned again as Sasuke turned his back on him, the orange fabric catching the overhead light in an all too familiar way while the brunette moved further into the room and out of the other's path. The blonde glanced down at his own orange and black outfit, horrified. "…Is that cloth from a pair of my pants?"

Sasuke looked over his shoulder, expression smug. He smirked up at Naruto. "I told you I couldn't run around naked, dobe."

"I can't believe you cut up my pants!" The blonde said, outraged, stomping after the other into the bedroom, kicking the door shut behind him. "Do you have any idea how hard it is to find them?!"

Standing in the middle of the room, Sasuke paused and turned, looking up and down Naruto's tall frame critically. The Uchiha had never been much of a fashion follower but he did have a good idea of another color that would look better on the blonde. "You'd look better in blue. It would bring out the color of your eyes."

Besides the Uchiha symbol would stand out better against the darker backdrop. Thinking about Naruto wearing his family symbol, of being marked plainly for all the world to see that the blonde was taken and loved… It was a turn on and Sasuke shifted his stance slightly to hide the fact that he was aroused.

Naruto flushed crimson and pointedly did not look at Sasuke while setting down the box he held, preoccupied with placing the bags he carried on the floor near the bed. Fully freed from his purchases, the blonde stood upright and leaned backward, groaning, vertebrae popping so noisily that Sasuke wondered if something had broken. Naruto widened his stance and reached upward, stretching his body fully before relaxing and sighing, gaze turning to the box.

"'Some assembly required.'" Naruto frowned as he read the small print on the side, wondering absently if a kunai would work as an impromptu screwdriver. Picking up the box, the blonde turned and sank to the floor, folding his long legs before him as he opened the package. "I hate it when they say that."

"What's wrong with putting it together?" Sasuke, who had moved to lean against a bedpost, wandered over, taking a wide route that ensured Naruto could see him at all times. The blonde was fighting with box's lid, muttering angrily, and it was clear that the Uchiha had no desire to be hit by a stray elbow as the blonde struggled.

Naruto's excitement of finally getting the box open evaporated, leaving the blonde subdued. He began laying out the pieces of wood inside the box on the floor, silently, waiting until he had emptied the box of all its contents before responding. "It usually means there are small parts. Small parts break easily between large fingers."

Blue eyes glanced at Sasuke.

_Ah._ The Uchiha snorted dismissively, then moved until he could climb on top of Naruto's hand. "Good thing I don't break that easily." He smirked and strode forward over the blonde's wrist and up his arm where he began using the wrinkles in the cloth of Naruto's sleeve as handholds to climb up to the blonde's shoulder. From there he used Naruto's ear to boost himself up on top of the blonde head and looked down at the mess before them. "What are you building?"

"Well, I figured you might want some privacy while staying here." Naruto said, and from the blonde's voice alone the Uchiha knew he wasn't going to like whatever the blonde said next. Immediately the blonde felt Sasuke stiffen. "But there weren't a lot of options…"

He pulled open the instructions and the Uchiha's dark eyes fastened on the image displayed at the top. He grabbed a hand hold of blonde hair and yanked, shouting. "A doll house?!"

"It was the only thing I could find!" Naruto whined, reaching up to grab Sasuke. The brunette swatted the hand away irritably but did release his grip on the other's hair. The hand hovered for several seconds more then retreated as the blonde lamented about bald spots. Paper crinkled as Naruto smoothed the instructions on the floor, one tan finger following a line of text while his other hand reached for the appropriate pieces. Sasuke made leaned forward slightly, using the blonde's forehead protector as a handhold to prevent him from tumbling forward.

"Dobe, it says insert part 'A' into slot 'B.' You're holding part 'F' and mashing it into slot 'E!'"

"Yeah well, I don't do this very often." Naruto grumbled, body jerking as he pulled the wooden pieces apart. The movement destabilized the Uchiha, making Sasuke scramble to grab thick chunks of blonde hair in order to stay put. He gave one handful a particularly nasty yank to communicate his displeasure over being nearly unseated.

"Give me the directions!" The brunette demanded.

"I don't think they'll fold that small."

Sasuke reached forward and smacked Naruto's forehead before speaking. "At this rate you'll destroy the pieces before we can even assemble the damn thing!"

Petulantly, Naruto ignored him and continued to try and make pieces not meant to go together fit. Sasuke waited, listening as the blonde made frustrated sounds and watching as his friend became more and more agitated.

Naruto threw up his hands in surrender, reaching for the sheet included for the doll house and folding several times until it was a size that the Uchiha could handle. "Fine! You read, I'll assemble. Just don't get a paper cut or anything. I don't know how to reattach an arm…"

Sasuke accepted the paper, annoyed that even folded as small as it was the paper forced him to extend his arms as far as they could go. Finding the appropriate selection, dark eyes scanned over the text briefly before issuing instructions to the waiting blonde.

* * *

Even working together, it still took them two hours to build the damn house.

"Dobe, honestly, why didn't you go with something simple?" Sasuke asked, flinging away the instructions, exasperated as he looked over the three story monstrosity. It was white- white walls with white floors, just completely white both inside and out. The wood was thicker than he would have imagined what was possibly necessary for a doll house and he honestly didn't know why Naruto hadn't just gone with something cheaper and thinner. Admittedly, though it was cool and was a whole house that could be opened wide by unlocking the latch on the side that held each side together. The front door worked, the windows opened and closed and there was even a sun deck at the very top of the building that the Uchiha could reach via a set of stairs and another working door from the third story. It had to be the top of the line model but, honestly, it wasn't as if Sasuke would be staying in it for that long…

At least that's what he hopped. Orochimaru's jutsu would eventually wear off; he just had to wait it out.

Naruto shifted, making Sasuke growl in warning not to repeat the action. "They were too flimsy. I was afraid they would collapse on you."

_Oh._ Sasuke didn't thank the other for his thoughtfulness verbally, but began running his hand through the thick blonde hair idly.

"So, did you want to decorate it now?" Naruto asked, and the tired drag to his voice did not go unnoticed by the brunette.

"Just give me a towel for bedding and some of the clothes you got me." Naruto's stomach growled loudly and Sasuke forced himself to not smirk. "Then we'll make dinner."

"Pfft. Towel." Naruto muttered, leaning forward carefully to snag the handles of one of the shopping bags and dragging it over. He offered his hand to Sasuke and the Uchiha climbed onto it, allowing himself to be deposited gently on the small sun deck. He watched as Naruto began rummaging around in the bag, withdrawing several small boxes. "Like I wouldn't get you a bed."

The diminutive Uchiha leaned against the railing of the deck, surprised that beds could be made that small and that Naruto would remember to get one. The blonde unwrapped one of the smaller boxes, parted the tissue paper and pulled out Sasuke's new bed, holding it up for the brunette to see. "Ta da!"

It was a low fourposter that greatly resembled the bed in his former bedroom in his parents' home in the Uchiha district, a fact that Sasuke suspected was deliberate and not merely coincidental. Naruto was trying very hard to make adjusting easy for the Uchiha and the brunette was grateful. He even smiled as the blonde undid the latch on the side of the house and opened it enough to set the bed in one of the upper rooms. Naruto pulled something else from the shopping bag and turned his attention back to the house, fussing with something for so long that Sasuke's patience ran out but, before the brunette could say anything, the blonde sat back beaming.

"There- your bed's made. Now for some clothes." Naruto said happily, pulling a smaller shopping bag out of the larger one, then digging through it. "Clothes, clothes, clothes…"

Finding something, Naruto looked up at Sasuke grinning mischievously and the Uchiha swore to Kami that if the dobe pulled out a maid uniform or something similar, that he would kill the jinchuuriki and not feel guilty, secret crush or no.

The blonde held out an orange T-shirt and a pair of black pants to the miniature brunette. "I looked around but they were all out of blue or white. I asked them to hold me a few when they come in."

"No boxers?" Sasuke asked, examining the clothing and wrinkling his nose at the Velcro clasp near the neck of the shirt and at the back of his new pants.

"Dolls are popular here but not that popular apparently." Naruto said, shrugging as he stood. He preformed another full body, bone popping stretch then eased his hand over the back of his neck tiredly.

"Dolls?" Sasuke stared up at him, appalled and outraged. "You went shopping for me in a _doll store_?!"

Naruto frowned down at him before sinking to the balls of his feet in a squat so that they were relatively eye to eye, his puzzlement as to what the problem was clear. "Where else was I supposed to shop? I don't know how to sew well enough to make anything, teme, and normal shops don't carry size 'Extra Teeny Weenie!' There is no 'shrunk ninja' section for gear or weapons or food! Tell me Sasuke, where the hell else would I be able to shop for you besides a doll shop?!"

The blonde was angry and, belatedly, the Uchiha realized that Naruto had every right to be pissed with him. His friend had gone to a lot of trouble without any form of protest, had done the best possible considering the situation, and here Sasuke was, throwing it back in Naruto's face, acting like a spoiled child.

"You're right." Sasuke said, feeling his face flush brightly. It was hard but he forced himself to meet Naruto's angry blue eyes with his own dark ones as he apologized. "I'm sorry."

Startled at the admission and his sudden victory, Naruto blinked, anger evaporating. He looked away and scratched the back of his neck "Yeah, well, I'd be pissed, too, I suppose." He looked back at Sasuke, a grin splitting his face. "Now, go change out of your skirt so you can come help me in the kitchen. I don't want to be flashed if you have to bend over."

Sasuke, still feeling slightly defensive after his very unUchiha-like apology immediately retaliated at the perceived slight that he had nothing between his legs worth looking at. Once he was normal sized again, he was going to make sure that Naruto got a good long look at exactly what he had to offer, damn it.

"Afraid you might like what you see?" He taunted.

"No." Naruto said, standing and heading for the door. "I'm afraid I might see that stick up your ass and never be able to forget the sight." He shuddered in the doorway and hugged himself dramatically. "The nightmares…!"

"I'll show you what's stuck up my ass!" The Uchiha exploded, his face flushed as he waved his new shirt at the blonde staring at him. Immediately Sasuke wished he could curl up and disappear as Naruto continued to stare at him wide eyed from the doorway. The brunette's face burned and he gave into the temptation to bow his head under the pretense of examining the stitching of his new shirt as Naruto's slow, heavy footsteps echoed in the room. Eyes firmly on the orange fabric, Sasuke could feel Naruto's body heat wash over him as the other crouched down in front of the doll house again.

"I really hope that someday you do, Sasuke." Naruto said softly, voice somber. It made Sasuke look up, confused, his heart hammering as he tried to decide if the blonde was making a lecherous comment or not. But Naruto's face was serious, his eyes sad as he regarded Sasuke solemnly and the sight made the Uchiha's heart beat rapidly for an entirely different reason.

Before Sasuke could say anything, Naruto stood and walked out of the room without another word, leaving the small brunette utterly confused and feeling vaguely ashamed.

* * *

Dinner was a quiet affair between them. Sasuke had changed into his new clothes but didn't have the heart to tell the blonde that the itched badly and that the jinchuuriki would have to take them back tomorrow. He doubted the Leaf shinobi would appreciate it, especially since Naruto's energetic personality seemed to have vanished after their conversation. The blonde picked at his food, moving it listlessly around his plate as his eyes stared at the table, deep in thought and the Uchiha felt a great trepidation fill him at the prospect of disturbing his friend's thoughts.

Sasuke didn't feel like eating either but he forced himself to finish his meal since his body needed the nourishment to heal. He was being forced to eat with his fingers, something he really didn't enjoy, but Naruto had been unable to find usable utensils in his size that didn't smell of lead. So the Uchiha nibbled on a grain of rice the size of his fist, absently tapping his fingers against the plastic of his plate and cup where it sat on his table. The blonde had purchased a small doll-sized kitchen table and a matching chair so that the brunette could sit down with him for dinner with some sense of normalcy.

Unfortunately, Sasuke felt anything but normal as he watched his friend push food around his plate. The Uchiha was confused and still bothered by his friend's earlier comment, unsure as to what he should do or how to broach the subject to get the blonde to explain. It made him angry that he couldn't seem to figure out Naruto's words- he was supposed to be a genius but here he was, baffled.

Naruto had always accused him of being emotionally repressed which, ironically, had always made Sasuke show more emotion. Since the blonde had been the only one capable of getting past the walls Sasuke had put in place to keep everyone else at bay. The idea had been to not let anyone else ever get close to the Uchiha's heart again so that he would never have to feel the soul-crushing loss that accompanied losing another precious person a second time. Sasuke had worked hard to close himself off from those around him but… It had been so lonely behind those walls, so cold and empty that when Naruto- bright, warm and friendly Naruto- had come along Sasuke had been practically begging for freedom. Naruto had overwhelmed the barriers the Uchiha had set in place and had encouraged Sasuke to show more of himself, had made the brunette want to smash those barriers from the inside, desperate to connect with another person again. He still felt the need, the urge to reach out and connect with Naruto, but he didn't know how to bridge this divide between them. His ineptitude was choking him, the words building up in his throat until they finally forced their way out.

"I missed you!" Sasuke blurted, cheeks burning as the meaning of his statement sunk in, wondering what kind of insanity had overtaken him. It had to be the poison, yes that was it, the poison made him do it! Though he kept his face blank, he watched Naruto fearfully for signs of rejection.

The blonde froze and slowly raised his head to look at the Uchiha. Blue eyes stared at him questioningly, trying to pull more words from Sasuke except that the brunette didn't have any more. When the Uchiha remained quiet, Naruto sat back in his chair and folded his arms over his chest as he watched the diminutive ninja while he spoke. "Wow, did it hurt that bad?"

The brunette blinked, confused again. "Did what hurt that bad?"

"Pulling some of that stick out." Naruto deadpanned.

The blush returned, pissing him off and Sasuke said the only thing that would come to mind. "Dobe!"

Silence stretched between them for several seconds before a snort came from the jinchuuriki.

"You should see your face! You look like a tomato!" Naruto's smile was brilliant, like the sun bursting through the clouds, but it was only when the blonde threw back his head and roared with laughter that the Uchiha truly knew that things were okay between them again.

Still though, he could hardly allow the insult to go by unpunished. As Naruto continued to laugh, Sasuke scooped up a handful of rice off his plate, packing it tightly into a ball before throwing it, nailing the blonde between the eyes. The Uchiha smirked openly, tilting back in his chair smugly as he enjoyed his victory.

At least until Naruto picked him up, chair and all, and set him on a bookshelf with no way down short of falling to his death. Then it was Naruto's turn to smirk, which he did with great relish as he sprawled out on the couch in his small living room and turned on the TV, raising the volume to drown out Sasuke's loud protests.

* * *

"Aw, come on, Teme." Naruto whined softly, shifting slightly and making the bath water slosh around the edges of the tub. "You're not still mad, are you?"

From his perch on an overturned tea cup located on a corner bath ledge near the spigot, Sasuke ignored him, sitting stiffly in the corner, his back turned toward the blonde as the brunette lathered his body with suds from the sliver of soap Naruto had cut for him. The jinchuuriki could see the twin lines of the healing wounds on the pale expanse directed at him, and sighed quietly. He didn't view the marring as ugly since, to Naruto, Sasuke had always been beautiful and the scars the brunet would carry because of this injury didn't so much as take away from that beauty but enhanced it in a way the jinchuuriki couldn't really explain.

The blonde leaned his head back, pouting quietly. In retrospect he probably shouldn't have pushed Sasuke to share _or_ trapped the ailing ninja in a place he couldn't escape from. Emotional sharing was not the Uchiha's strong suit; Sasuke repressed, bottling everything up, and Naruto firmly believed that this behavior had contributed in a big way to the brunette's defection.

But Sasuke was here now and Naruto refused to repeat the mistakes of the past. He wanted his friend to share openly about his fears and dreams, to talk about his time away like any normal person would do after an extended absence. Naruto was determined to get Sasuke to open up but maybe this had been too much, too soon and he contented himself with the knowledge that he had at least opened the door to such communications. It was up to the Uchiha now if Sasuke would walk through it.

Naruto sighed loudly and closed his eyes, irritated at his own exuberance. He should have waited but waiting had never been his strong suit to any degree just like sharing had never been Sasuke's. He felt his lips twist into an almost smile, finding it ironic that they balanced each other out in these areas- Naruto was always willing to share what was on his mind and Sasuke had patience to spare.

He tried to relax in the warm water, to let the tension in his muscles go, but couldn't, too worried about the new potential rift between himself and Sasuke he may have caused. The blonde shifted several times, suddenly annoyed by the fact that he was too tall for the cramped tub, something that had never been a problem before now. The porcelain seemed to dig into his back no matter what position he took when he huffed at the ceiling in irritation, the blonde noticed how obscenely cracked the surface above was. Naruto frowned, unhappy and dissatisfied. He had already gotten clean in a brief shower prior to drawing the bath and the whole point of the soaking in the water had been to relax. Now that his mood had been ruined, it was definitely time to get out of the tub.

"Hey, Sasuke, you done?" Naruto asked, staring blankly at the ceiling, letting his voice drag. He was apparently not fully recovered from his week of sleepless nights and he had no desire to fall asleep in the tub. The blonde was still irritated and vaguely angry but they were familiar emotions, the same he had felt immediately following the Uchiha's departure. Naruto had learned to deal with them in the subsequent years afterward and though they would dampen his evening, they would not keep him awake as they once would have.

"How many stores did you go to?" Water splashed, presumably the brunet rinsing himself off with the empty toothpaste cap Naruto had given him to serve as a bucket.

It wasn't quite a question the blonde had been expecting and Naruto's eyebrows rose into his hairline, lips pursing as he thought of his answer, mentally retracing his route. "Hmm. Let's see... There was the doll store for furniture and clothes. Then the toy store for the house 'cause the ones at the doll store looked like they'd fall over if I blew on them." Naruto yawned, his eyes tearing in the process. He rubbed at his eyes, idly shifting his knees above the waterline and submerging his upper body slightly lower. "I think that's it… No, wait, I went to the pet store at some point…"

"The pet store? I'm not a pet, dobe!" Sasuke's annoyance could be plainly heard and Naruto cracked an eye in time to see the Uchiha jump from the bath ledge to Naruto's nearby knee. Unfortunately, Naruto's skin was still slick and, in a very inelegant display, the brunette slipped, falling onto the towel the blonde had draped around his waist for modesty and politeness; he was sharing the bath and somehow going commando as usual seemed rude with Sasuke there. The Uchiha seemed to feel the same way and had used the orange swath he'd been wearing earlier in a similar fashion.

"Are you alright?" Naruto reacted immediately reacted, reaching down to cup his hands around the fallen Uchiha. He brought Sasuke to rest against his chest, holding him there as the blonde pushed himself higher above the water line. Sitting up, Naruto peered down anxiously at the diminutive brunette over, carefully running his fingers over the small body in a search for broken bones. When he found nothing, he focused on Sasuke's head, disturbing the soaked dark hair as he hunted for signs of head trauma.

"I'm not made of glass, Naruto!" The Uchiha snapped, moving stiffly as he righted himself. He began shoving the blonde's fingers away roughly.

Irritation welled within the blonde. "No, you're not, but you can still be hurt fairly easily by the same stuff that you would normally brush off. Sasuke, you are six inches tall and whether you admit it or not, this does have a significant impact right now!"

"I'll be back to normal soon!" Sasuke hissed at him, face flushed faintly red from anger or embarrassment, Naruto wasn't sure which. "The jutsu has to end eventually."

And that would bring a whole other set of problems, the blonde knew. "I know it will end, Sasuke, but...Wait," Naruto frowned as a thought occurred to him. "Teme, how long have you been like this?"

"Not long." Sasuke said evasively, suddenly preoccupied with rotating his right shoulder.

Naruto cupped his hands around the brunette and sat up suddenly, glaring down at the annoyed brunette. Placing his thumbs carefully on Sasuke's chest, he pinned the Uchiha firmly, his voice a low growl as he spoke. "How. Long."

"…" Dark eyes glared up at him with anger so strong, so clear, that Naruto should have been running away as fast as he could to get out of retaliation range. The blonde, though, was familiar with how Sasuke used his anger to mask other emotions and ignored the defense mechanism in favor of searching deeper into those dark depths, quickly finding the fear and desperation hiding underneath.

"Teme," The blonde asked, his voice softening though his eyes bore intently into the Uchiha's. "How long have you been like this?"

Sasuke was quiet for several tense seconds but some of the fear Naruto had detected earlier leaked into his expression. "…Two weeks."

It was Naruto's turn to be quiet as he processed this information. Sasuke had been bite sized for two weeks- it was a miracle he had made it to Konoha at all given the abundant wildlife residing within the forests surrounding the village. The blonde forced the fear he felt for his friend to the rear of his mind and smiled reassuringly at the brunette. "You're right; the jutsu can't last for much longer, a few more days at the most. You should treat this like a vacation and enjoy it, Teme."

The confident words sounded hollow to Naruto's ears but Sasuke nodded as if he believed and that was enough for the blonde. They finished their bath together and climbed out, Naruto quickly wrapped around himself before covering the Uchiha with a dry corner of cloth. He proceeded to dry the tiny ninja thoroughly making Sasuke's dark hair fluff up in all directions much to the brunette's annoyance. It made him look like a dandelion and Naruto said as much, grinning wickedly as he walked to his bedroom, Sasuke fuming silently on his shoulder.

The blonde set the brunette on the bed then bent to fish around in one of the larger shopping bags, pulling out a set of pajamas for Sasuke to change into.

"These ought to keep you warm." Naruto said, pleased with the set he was presenting and not understanding the incredulous expression covering his friend's face.

"I'm not wearing those." The Uchiha said flatly.

"Why not?" The material was soft enough, something that the blonde had listed as a necessity for Sasuke's pale skin, and the color pleasing- a baby blue. Naruto didn't understand what the problem was. "What's wrong with them?"

"It's covered in ducks, dobe!" Sasuke fumed, pointing at the set of nightclothes angrily. "I'm not wearing that!"

Naruto frowned, studying the patterned clothing and trying to keep a straight face. "Not real ducks, Teme, rubber duckies. There's a difference. See rubber duckies…"

"I know what the difference is!" Sasuke shouted, irate. He was standing still as a statue, pale skin flushed red, little fists clenched tightly at his sides. The Uchiha would have looked fierce if his hair hadn't still been standing out at all angles, the ends curling slightly as they dried.

"It's blue." The blonde wheedled, unable to keep from smiling at the other, knowing it would only irritate the brunette further. Their fighting was a form of stress relief, always had been and probably always would be, and Naruto had _missed it terribly_ while Sasuke had been gone. He laid the set down on the bed near Sasuke, as if putting it in closer proximity would make it more enticing to the small ninja.

"No."

The tone was petulant and Naruto turned around, pressing his lips together to hold in the laughter trying to escape. To keep a straight face he concentrated on drying himself off, undoing the knot of cloth at his waist and pulling his towel off, wadding the material. He kept his back to the bed as he slowly began using the towel to lightly remove the moisture still clinging to his body. He fell easily into his usual bedtime preparation routine, absorbed by it almost instantly as he scrubbed the cloth through his hair then moved to dry his upper body before bending over to do his legs. Straightening again he lifted each leg, drying each foot one at a time.

A sound from the bed made him abruptly remember that Sasuke was in the room, startling the blonde and making his jump. He hastily covered himself with the towel, holding it awkwardly with one hand while scratching the back of his neck sheepishly with the other. "Um, sorry? Went on autopilot... Oh, hey, you're wearing the pajamas! Are they too hot, Teme? You're face is all red again…"

"I'm fine!" The Uchiha snapped, pulling his top down as far as it would go. "Hurry up and get dressed!"

"Right. Sorry." The blonde strode over to his closet immediately and wrapped his knuckles against the wooden door before opening it and pulling out a random sleep set of pajamas and a pair of boxers, absently brushing the fabric from habit before getting dressed. When the last button was done, he walked back to the bed and held his hand out, waiting for Sasuke to settle on his palm before lifting it upward.

"I think this might be more comfortable than my shoulder. Besides, I need my hands free while I make a snack." Naruto said, pulling open the breast pocket of his pajama top and waiting for Sasuke to slide inside. He took a step and then stopped, snickering quietly.

"What?" The Uchiha asked, sounding annoyed as he settled, steadfastly not looking up at the blonde.

Naruto snickered again, as he began to move again. "I've got an Uchiha in my pocket."

The blonde had no idea how right he was.


	4. Short Shrift

Sorry for the delay! I got caught up with Sanctuary and Bared Naked… Please enjoy this latest chapter of Scale and thank you for waiting!

* * *

CH4: Short shrift

* * *

Naruto groggily woke to the annoying sound of knocking. At first he thought it was from the television, still on from last night, and he squinted at the screen irritably to see if the scene displayed reflected the sound appropriately. Cupping one hand around over Sasuke, asleep within the breast pocket of the jinchuuriki's pajama top, Naruto rubbed at his eyes and yawned, arching slightly to ease the stiffness in his back from sleeping on the couch all night.

The blond glanced down at his chest again and smiled at the cute picture the Uchiha made as the brunet continued to sleep soundly, the picture of vulnerability with his dark hair tousled and mouth open. As they had settled in for the night yesterday, the shrunken ninja had remained inside the pajama pocket without complain and as he had settled down, Naruto had had to listen to the drowsy Uchiha complaint that the blond's heart beat was too loud, unsurprising since the pocket lay directly over the organ. Sasuke had muttered something about never being able to get any sleep even as he sprawled out and then, with no small amount of amusement, Naruto had watched as the other promptly drifted off to dreamland. Coming back to the present, the blond gently stroked the brunet's back with one hand and rubbed in annoyance at his temple with the other, wondering who the hell was banging on his door so damn early. Sasuke was recovering nicely from the poison, the anti-venom negating whatever the brunette's system couldn't handle, but Naruto had wanted to give the brunet as much peace and quiet as possible to recover in.

And it was now, of all times, that someone decided to visit him.

Well the sooner he opened the door, the sooner he could shut it and check the Uchiha's recovery. With exaggerated care, Naruto stood, his head turning automatically in the correct direction when he caught movement out the corner of his left eye. A very large spider was walking sedately past him on its way down the short hall that led to his room and as he focused on it, the arachnid seemed to feel his gaze and paused, turning from its intended path to head toward him instead.

"Hey, Ami." Naruto greeted when the spider reached his feet. Smiling, he held perfectly still as the animal rubbed its body against his ankles in a move not very different from a scent marking cat, one furry leg delicately tapping itself against the blond's leg until he bent over. With a quiet laugh, Naruto offered a flat hand to the dinner plate sized spider and stood upright slowly so as not to startle Ami more than the knocking obviously had.

Then he walked to the door and pulled it open, making sure that his occupied hand was in plain view of those outside.

"Took you long enoug-AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!" Someone screamed, her voice ear drum shattering, and he recognized Sakura immediately without any difficulty. What surprised him was the second scream that followed and he opened the door wide enough to peer out and see that Hinata had also decided to visit.

"Na, Naruto-kun," Hinata squeaked out, her strange pupilless eyes comically wide as she watched Ami. "Good morning."

"Naruto!" Sakura, obviously recovered, stalked toward him, one fist raised to hit him, and the blond sidled to his left, keeping the door –and Ami- between them.

"Sakura-chan, Hinata-chan! What a pleasant surprise…." Naruto said, working hard to keep his anxiety out of his voice. The loud exchange had woken Sasuke and the Uchiha, hidden from view behind the door, was looking up at him in alarm. Fangs bared at the girls, Ami was also bothered by the exchange and the spider's long legs had wrapped firmly around Naruto's hand, engulfing it completely and rendering it useless.

"Were you asleep, Naruto?" Hinata ventured, looking him up and down curiously. Her question seemed to distract Sakura and the kunoichi calmed enough to put her fist down.

"Yeah, just woke up." He yawned, turning his head and resting it against the door momentarily as he finished the action. "What can we," He hefted Ami gently. "Do for you two fine ladies?"

Abruptly both women flushed darkly and began fidgeting under his gaze. Silence stretched between them for several seconds, broken only by soft gasps from Sakura and Hinata when Ami freed his hand with exaggerated slowness, one long furry leg waving minutely to get Naruto's attention.

"What's it doing?" Sakura asked in a whisper, her eyes glued to the arachnid.

"She wants to be put down." Naruto explained as he complied with the silent request, squatting down to the floor and placing the back of his hand against the wooden boards. Ami immediately crawled off and headed toward his room.

"Is she a pet?" Hinata asked as she watched.

"Hmm… kinda." The blond said, standing and scratching the back of his head absently. "Gaara gave her to me to keep me company. She's cuddlier than she seems, doesn't make a lot of noise, and I haven't seen a rat since I got her."

"Rat?" Sakura repeated faintly, looking horrified, her eyes darting down to the floor as if a rodent would suddenly emerge at any moment. She shifted her stance, putting most of her weight on one leg, as if trying to put as little of her as possible in contact with the floor.

Out the corner of his eye, Naruto could see Sasuke's jaw drop. Then the Uchiha recovered and glared at the blond with an intensity usually only seen in governing celestial bodies.

"Yeah, nasty vicious little things that would eat anything. This isn't the best apartment building and management refused to do anything about them. It got so bad I had to lock my ramen in metal containers." Naruto shrugged dismissively, rolling his shoulder and making his shirt pocket move, Sasuke momentarily disappearing as he lost his footing. The blond rolled his shoulder again, exaggerating the movement to loosen as many of the tight muscles as possible and Sasuke, who had just gotten to his feet, disappeared once more. Naruto bit his bottom lip to keep from smiling as he waited for the brunet to reappear, looking forward to continuing the game until the Uchiha pinched the blond's nipple through the material of the pajama top. Naruto made a noise that was very much like a quiet yelp and quickly tried to cover it up by speaking. "So what brings you two here so early?"

Sakura looked sheepish and shifted slightly as her eyes studied the floor. Hinata, too, suddenly seemed very interested in the faded design of the welcome mat outside his door. Both of them, at alternating times, scuffed a shoe against the hall floor, the action making the pair of almost full grown kunoichi suddenly look like school children preparing to be scolded.

Silence stretched between them but Naruto waited patiently as they fidgeted, shifting slightly to evenly distribute his weight as he gave them time to speak.

Hinata found her voice first. "We, uh, we h-heard you went s-shopping…"

Though he didn't know exactly where she was going with the conversation, as casually as possible Naruto closed the door further to better hide his breast pocket, the blonde hiding the action as he hid the movement by shifting his feet again. His heart sped up but he forced himself to keep his expression politely interested.

"Naruto," Sakura said suddenly, voice firm with no hint of whatever emotion was making her blush. "Do you play with dolls?"

For a moment, Naruto could only stare at her but then as he finally processed her words, he flushed brilliantly. "Wha-! No, I don't play… Where is this coming from?!"

"We saw you shopping yesterday." Hinata said quietly, looking back and forth between his face and Sakura as his former teammate continued to stare at him intensely. "You bought a lot of doll related merchandise and we just wondering… Do you…?" She made a vague motion that meant absolutely nothing to Naruto.

Open mouthed, the blond felt lightheaded from the sudden rush of blood as he blushed fiercely. It wasn't like he could explain the real reason why he had suddenly gone out to buy such things but still..!He was a guy, damn it! _A guy! _Playing with dolls was a girl thing! The idea of him playing with a doll- a real one that little girls always seemed so fond of dressing up and pretending to bottle feed- was not only the epitome of insults but also a major blow to his masculinity and it actually hurt to have the idea suggested by two people he considered close friends.

His hand tightened on the door still within his grip, the wood emitting a groan of protest into the silence that had descended between the trio, startling both girls.

"I am not a girl!" Naruto shouted at them, glaring as he stepped back inside the apartment, slamming the door shut in their surprised faces.

* * *

"I don't believe this!" Naruto muttered. The blond was pacing, his movements angry and sharp as he completed another pass by the bed, shedding water in his wake. The little droplets left a trial of dark spots, as if some small invisible being was following the fuming blonde as he continued to walk around the room.

Sasuke, perched on the bed among the folds of a hand towel, watched silently, using the opportunity to admire all that toned muscle bunch and flex beneath all of Naruto's exposed golden skin above the towel knotted at his waist. The blond had climbed in the shower after talking with the kunoichi pair, nearly shattering the shower stall door when he slammed it shut behind him, and, after putting the Uchiha's supplies in the basin leaving, had left Sasuke to bathe in the sink. Their time in the bathroom had been silent and the brunet had foolishly thought that the blond had gotten over the injury caused by Sakura's thoughtless question until they had entered Naruto's bedroom and the jinchuuriki began grousing. Loudly.

In Sasuke's opinion, Naruto was being a dobe. Dark eyes again swept up and down the blonde's body, taking in Naruto's broad shoulders and the lean muscle of the blond's chest, raking down over the narrow towel covered hips that swelled gently into muscular thighs and, further down, toned calves supported by wide feet. The baby fat was all gone now leaving behind the hard planes and angles that usually made up the average male form. There was nothing soft or curvy about Naruto, nothing remotely feminine at all, and to suggest otherwise only proved that the speaker was a moron.

"There isn't anything girly about me!" Naruto exploded suddenly, startling both Sasuke and Ami where she sat on the sun deck of the doll house. The massive spider had its fangs buried in the body of a large cockroach and was steadily sucking the insect dry as the blonde paced. Oddly, it reminded Sasuke of the way some people ate potato chips while watching a TV show or other entertainment and the mental image was simply bizarre.

The fact that the damn thing was doing it on top of his new home didn't sit well with Sasuke either.

"Right?" Naruto asked and the Uchiha forced himself to stop glaring at the spider to return his attention to the blonde, frowning as his friend suddenly began pulling at the knot of cloth at his waist.

A very bad feeling settled in the pit of the brunet's stomach as he watched Naruto tug at the material until it came loose and fell to the floor. The blonde was suddenly, gloriously naked and Sasuke had to clench his jaw very tightly to keep from drooling openly at the unexpected but welcome sight.

"I am not a girl! There isn't anything girly about me! Look at me- look at this! Is anything girly about **_that_**?!" In a warped and crude demonstration of just how male he truly was, Naruto cupped himself in one hand and pointed to his genitals with the other so that there was no misunderstanding exactly what 'that' referred to.

Slack-jawed, Sasuke could only stare at the blonde in disbelief, his secret enjoyment gone as the wheels of his mind began turning the situation over, studying the information objectively. Naruto wasn't simply upset over a minor implied threat to his manhood- he was having an absolute meltdown and the Uchiha couldn't figure out why, not unless some larger issue was driving the blond's behavior. Something else had to be eating at the blonde, and blowing the perceived slight completely out of proportion. Having his masculinity in doubt had shaken Naruto on a deep level, driving him to find reassurance of his masculinity even if the only ones available were a small traitorous friend and a large female spider.

The list of exactly what could cause such a reaction was relatively short and, though all options were possible, the most likely was something that tightened Sasuke's chest and made his heart race in fear.

He had to swallow twice before speaking and even then had to work hard to emulate an appropriate tone. "You're all male, dobe, now put some clothes on before you make me go blind!" He covered his eyes with both hands, for effect before dropping them back down.

"Damn right I'm male!" Naruto shouted, releasing himself and straightening, flaunting his body perfectly as he strode purposely around the room to get clothing, speaking as he moved. "No one's calling me a girl. My body isn't feminine in the least and anyone who thinks otherwise will have a chat with my fist! I'm not girly- I'm not gay!"

He began shimmying into his clothes and Sasuke looked away, keeping his expression hidden as his hands fisted tightly into the cloth of his towel, his chest a mass of blazing agony as his previous suspicion was confirmed.

Naruto was homophobic. Sasuke had fallen in love with someone who would never love him back- who would probably throw him out or worse if the blond ever found out about the Uchiha's feelings. The only one who had ever understood Sasuke, his best friend, the last person he considered family, a person who he had thought accepted everyone regardless of their faults, was homophobic.

It wasn't fair and the knowledge settled over him heavily. Sasuke had never felt more alone than he did now and when Naruto called his name, the brunet looked up without any thought as to his expression.

"Hey, what's wrong?" Naruto's smile disappeared as he knelt beside the bed and peered down at the diminutive Uchiha in concern, large tan hands hovering around Sasuke, ready to swoop in and administer aid. "Are you in pain? Do you feel sick?"

The answer to each questions was both yes and no but Sasuke pushed the feelings away and scraped together his hard won calm and aloofness. Face feeling tight and stiff, he made a customary 'hn' of annoyance and, exaggerating each movement, dramatically winked first with one eye then did the same with the other.

"Come on, teme, what is it?" Naruto's large blue eyes dominated the brunet's vision, the liquid orbs only inches away, silently pleading with the Uchiha to share what was on his mind.

Though his body felt wire tight, Sasuke forced it to relax, to slump in mock relief. He fluttered his eyelids again pointedly then glared. "You were too slow! Next time you decide to parade yourself, warn me!"

"…Asshole." Naruto huffed, rolling his eyes and standing, shaking his head as he towered over the Uchiha. Snagging the handle of one of the shopping bags still strewn about the room, the blond rummaged inside it until he withdrew some clothes for Sasuke, throwing them onto the bed beside the brunet. "Put something on- I feel like watching a movie while we eat breakfast and your bare butt isn't getting anywhere near my couch cushions."

Mechanically, Sasuke did as he was told, pulling open the plastic wrapping surrounding the items and dressing without paying any attention to the outfit. When he was clothed, the Uchiha stood stiffly and waited for Naruto to offer him a tan hand.

The next few hours passed by in a blur for the Uchiha, as his attention span and concentration were suddenly nonexistent. They did watch a movie while they ate (cereal for Sasuke, ramen for Naruto) but the brunet couldn't follow the plot, didn't get the jokes that the blond he sat next to seemed to find so incredibly funny. Appetite gone, Sasuke had forced himself to eat his stack of cornflakes, heedless of the mess that gathered in his lap during the process since the flakes, each one the size of his two hands put together, had the irritating tendency to shatter into pieces any time he took too large a bite. The Uchiha watched the television screen blankly, occasionally grunting noncommittally when Naruto asked him something, and felt as if some vital part of his world had been destroyed.

All the color was suddenly gone. It was such a stupid and disgustingly romanticized way to phrase what he was feeling but Sasuke though it was perhaps the best. Naruto had always been such a bright, bouncy, comforting presence within the Uchiha's life and though the brunet hadn't often consciously appreciated this fact, some part of him had always found the blond incredibly reassuring. Naruto was his sun, his anchor on a fundamental level and the two of them seemed to revolve around one another at all times even when separated. The blond had always accepted Sasuke, always, and to think that there was something that could potentially cause a rift between them bad enough that it could knock them out of orbit made Sasuke feel cold inside. The knowledge of Naruto's stance on homosexuality made the world dim into shades of gray, the color slowly leaching away to nothing until the Uchiha felt empty and hollow.

Something large settled lightly on his head and tousled his hair, disturbing and flattening Sasuke's natural spikes.

"Did you hear me?" Naruto demanded, annoyed as he pushed his index finger down with more force, making the brunet's neck and shoulders ache.

Pushing the large digit off irritably, Sasuke forced himself to scowl deeply up at the blond even though his heart wasn't in it. He couldn't afford to show how affected he was, not if he wanted to preserve their relationship as it was. Naruto wasn't stupid and, if Sasuke wasn't careful, the blond would eventually put two and two together. At the very least Naruto would know that the Uchiha preferred men sexually and it wouldn't be too far a logic leap to realize that Sasuke had feelings for him that ran deeper than normal friendship. To prevent that from happening, it was imperative that Sasuke act normal.

"No," The Uchiha said, tone portraying utter boredom as he idly studied the buttons on the TV remote between them. "I have a natural ability to tune out stupidity."

"Teme!" The blond hissed, blue eyes narrowing to slits as he poked Sasuke in the back of the head roughly, unknowingly making stars explode across the Uchiha's field of vision. "This is important! Whatever that snake bastard did is really weird! I'm sitting right next to you and I can barely sense you at all!"

That got the brunet's attention. "Really? You can't sense me at all?"

Naruto nodded, folding his arms over his chest and nodding sharply as his brow furrowed deeply. "I can smell you and hear your heart beating but that's only because my senses are better than most. Unless she picked you up, I doubt even Sakura would be able to tell the difference between you and a doll... Hey, wait a sec."

The blond practically launched himself off the couch and disappeared down the hall into his room. Curious, Sasuke stood and walked over to the remote, stepping on the power button to silence the television while he listened intently to the faint rummaging coming from his friend's bedroom. Several seconds ticked by until a triumphant yell echoed off the apartment's walls and Naruto returned, bounding down the hall into the living room.

"Here! Put this on." The blond said excitedly, holding his large fist above Sasuke and dumped the contents of his hand onto the tiny ninja, practically bouncing in front of the couch as he waited for his small friend to reappear.

"Dobe!" The brunet shouted angrily, struggling out from under the clothes Naruto had dropped on him, one hand holding something hard and smooth, the other rubbing the spot on his head where the object had hit him.

"Sorry, sorry! Forgot about the mask!" Naruto said, one hand rubbing the back of his head in apology, his other still occupied in a fist.

Sasuke blinked and finally looked at what had been unceremoniously heaped on him, dark eyebrows lifting slightly as he took in the ANBU like uniform and the painted fox mask that came with it, both in his size.

"I'm not changing." The Uchiha said, tossing the uniform away carelessly, ignoring Naruto's noises of protest. He did keep the mask though and, with a quiet sigh, Sasuke placed it over his face, tying the cord behind his head to keep it in place. Hands on his hips, the brunet looked up at the blond through the eye holes of the mask. "Happy?"

Grinning widely, Naruto nodded and bent over the Uchiha, setting something lightly on the couch cushion beside Sasuke before stepping back, folding his arms over his chest as his expression became critical. Frowning behind his mask, the brunet turned to look at the object, appalled as he took in the miniature ANBU figure complete with a wolf animal mask.

"What the hell, dobe?" He shouted, ripping his mask off and letting it dangle from his hand, the cord cutting into his palm as he clutched it tightly. Barring the difference in masks, if he had actually put the outfit on, Sasuke and the doll would have looked like twins they were so similar in size. It was creepy- the doll even had dark hair.

Naruto abruptly dropped down to the floor, balancing his weight on the balls of his feet as he looked back and forth between Sasuke and the doll from only inches away, eyebrows knitting together in concentration. He was also pouting, his lower lip jutting forward in an infuriatingly inviting way and Sasuke had to curl his hands into fists to control the temptation of reaching out and touching the soft skin.

"Meet your stand in." The blond said, expression becoming serious. "I figured that someone would ask me about suddenly buying all that stuff. It's too odd, even for me, for it to go completely unnoticed, and if someone we knew didn't actually see me, then they'd hear about it from the shop keepers at some point."

"He's camouflage." The Uchiha said, immediately seeing where the jinchuuriki's logic went. Of course Naruto's shopping spree would draw attention and someone was bound to show up and ask questions, forcing the blond to produce some sort of evidence about his sudden interest in dolls. He couldn't just hand Sasuke over and hope no one noticed that the 'doll' was warm, breathing, and had a heart beat. The Uchiha was still a traitor to Konoha and there was the small matter of his punishment to be discussed should he be discovered, not to mention what may happen to Naruto considering the blond was willingly harboring a fugitive. It was brilliant but there were still a few holes in Naruto's idea…

"Not just him- I bought a few more." Naruto scratched the back of his neck, grinning that stupid idiot grin, and Sasuke felt his heart swell with warmth, again the urge to touch the blond gripping him. "It would be odd to just have two **boy **dolls, after all."

_That's right._ He had momentarily forgotten Naruto's previous meltdown and the reason behind it. The blond would never be Sasuke's, never his to hold or to kiss or to love. The brunet slipped the fox mask back over his head, distracting himself as he settled the painted plastic into place, hiding behind it. His face felt too warm, his eyes too hot, and for the sake of normalcy he couldn't afford to let anything other than arrogance show. Since his usual smirk wasn't as forthcoming as it should have been, the faux ANBU mask would have to do and he turned to his plastic double, pretending to look the other over critically.

He'd become such a coward over the last two weeks.

"It's only temporary, Teme." Naruto said suddenly and Sasuke felt his body tense up before he could prevent it. "If the jutsu doesn't run out on its own, I'll figure out a way to get you back to normal. I won't give up, even if it takes until I'm Hokage. I will fix what Orochimaru did to you, Sasuke."

"It better not take you that long." The Uchiha snorted, rolling his eyes, but behind the mask he smiled and if it was bittersweet, he was the only one who knew. A promise from Naruto was a promise Sasuke knew he could bank on but the idea that he would be stuck like this for much longer was as equally repugnant as time alone with the blond was appealing.

"You know, I'm due for a vacation myself." Naruto mused suddenly, scratching absently at his cheek. He grinned and the sight made warmth settle in Sasuke's middle. "We could go somewhere and hang out like we used to!"

Technically, they had never really 'hung out' in any normal sense of the phrase but time spent with Naruto was to be treasured, not quibbled over, and Sasuke felt himself nod before he was consciously aware of doing it. A vacation with the blonde sounded wonderful and should the jutsu end or if Naruto did manage to fulfill his promise early it would be easier to hide among tourists than it would be to hide among fellow ninja. Besides, maybe Sasuke could change Naruto's opinion about homosexuality…

A knock on the door disrupted that thought and before the brunet could look in the appropriate direction, Naruto had wrapped his hand around Sasuke and was throwing the diminutive ninja under the couch. Rolling with the momentum prevented him from receiving serious injury but as he stood angrily, Sasuke knew he'd have bruises later and wondered what the hell the dobe had been thinking. Naruto's previous warning about Sasuke's new size making the Uchiha more fragile rang inside the brunet's head, finally sinking in as he realized that another careless throw like that and he wouldn't escape without a broken limb or two. Rotating his shoulders, the brunet stalked through the dark landscape, and ran smack into the side of an empty instant ramen container.

_Gods, dobe, when was the last time you cleaned?! _It was disgusting under the couch and Sasuke quickly came to the conclusion that no mop or vacuum had ever been under here. He took a moment to resettle his mask in place, deciding that it would be best to keep the added protection as place as he resumed walking. Stale bits of cereal, cellophane wrappers, another ramen container, a kunai… It was a veritable dump! What proved quickly to be the biggest hazards however were not the thumb tacks, paper clips, or food paraphernalia but the mounds of congregated lint and hair that the Uchiha constantly encountered. There were dust bunnies the size of cows under the couch, the sticky, cottony texture taking the Uchiha by surprise as he walked into one that seemed to simply materialize in his path. It was so dark, more so than Sasuke would have thought possible given that light actually was present in the form of a thin beam near the floor. Unfortunately, whatever dissipated light did manage to make it under the couch was rendered useless by the debris that he kept encountering. Using his eyes was pointless down here and so Sasuke used his feet to guide him, following the vibrations made by Naruto's footsteps as the blond walked around to answer the door.

"Oh, hi Sakura. Hi, Hinata." The blond's voice was muffled but the shrunken ninja could still hear it. Though Naruto's tone wasn't aggressive, there was a noticeable edge to it and his greeting was considerably less than enthused. "What are you…"

_'"What are you…"' what?_ In his haste to get back to the blond, Sasuke absently pushed another sticky furry menace from his path only to pull his hand up short before actually touching it. Immediately he leapt backward, taking up a fighting stance as the 'dust bunny' turned around, its whiskers twitching curiously as it stretched its nose out and sniffed at the brunet, a long scaly tail curving around its feet. Beady black eyes seemed to sparkle menacingly even in the dimness as the animal crept forward on silent paws, stalking the Uchiha as Sasuke backed up.

He tried to remember how many steps separated him from a weapon as he continued to try and put distance between himself and the animal. Sasuke had forgotten how unbelievably naïve Naruto could be and inwardly he cursed the blond as the beast aligned itself to attack.

Ami had not solved Naruto's rat problem.

* * *

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	5. Speaking Volumes

Chapter Five: Speaking Volumes

* * *

Naruto blinked, frowning as he looked into the empty glass eyes of the doll Sakura had shoved forward once the door was open, wondering why the hell he was nose to nose with the porcelain figure. Eyebrows arching, his gaze shifted beyond the doll to look at his team mate.

"This is Sarah." Sakura said, answering his unspoken question. "She's my doll."

Uncomfortable, the blond stepped to the side of the doorway, putting distance between himself and 'Sarah' since Sakura made no move the doll away from his face. This unfortunately put him directly in front of Hinata, who also held a doll, though she kept hers against her chest, cradled in her arms protectively.

"My doll's name is Josephine." The Hyuuga heiress said, a blush staining her normally pale cheeks. Her eyes darted down from his face to the floor before subtly shifting to either side of the hallway, her blush becoming more pronounced.

A blonde eyebrow rose at the behavior and Naruto returned his attention to Sakura, thankful that Sarah was now safely tucked in his teammate's arms and no longer in his face. The pink haired kunoichi too was exhibiting the same eye shifting behavior as Hinata, both attempting to watch the hallway without appearing to do so. It was almost as if they were afraid of being seen outside his door and Naruto's frown deepened as he said as much.

"W-well…" Hinata stuttered, expression becoming guilty. "It's just that…"

"Can we come in?" Sakura interrupted, already moving to pass through the doorway regardless of his answer. He had no desire to allow her inside but, if she wanted in, there would be little he'd be able to do to stop her unless he truly wanted to hurt her. With a resigned sigh, the blonde moved from the doorway and allowed the pair of kunoichi entrance to his apartment, surreptitiously scanning the floor around the couch for any sign of Sasuke.

Naruto didn't offer them a seat but Sakura walked straight to the couch and sank down into the cushions, Hinata trailing faithfully behind her like a shadow and also taking a seat. Inwardly, the blonde cringed and hoped that the old sofa's springs held as the piece of furniture groaned ominously.

Sasuke would never let him hear the end of it if the couch collapsed on top of him.

_Fuck… _"So…" Annoyed, Naruto shut the door but didn't budge from his position beside it other than to face the girls who had invaded his living room. The blond crossed his arms over his chest and stuck his lower lip out petulantly.

"We weren't calling you gay!" Sakura said abruptly and loudly, her own expression taking on a mulish cast as she hugged Sarah tightly to her chest. "We just thought you… shared our interests!"

"Playing with dolls?" Naruto asked, his pride still sore from the earlier slight. He advanced a step toward her, unfolding his arms as his hands tightened into fists. "You thought I played with dolls?! What guy in his right mind plays with dolls?!"

Sakura flushed darkly but didn't back down. Her gaze narrowed dangerously as she spoke. "It's a subculture in Konoha that anyone can be a part of, idiot. Unless you ask someone, you don't know who participates and who doesn't! It's not like we've got a member's badge or anything!"

"But me?!" Naruto asked, voice rising indignantly. "_Me?_ Sakura, what in our history together made you think I played with dolls in my spare time?"

"What's wrong with playing with dolls?!" Sakura screeched defensively, placing Sarah on the couch as she stood, fists raised as if to attack.

They glared at each other, sparks practically igniting the air between them. Fearing that the pair may actually come to blows, Hinata ignored her wildly pounding heart and did something that would probably come back to haunt her later.

"Neji plays with dolls!" The sentence seemed to explode into being between Naruto and Sakura, taking them both by surprise. As one, they turned to stare at the Hyuuga heir, their expressions saying plainly that they had momentarily forgotten she was present.

Naruto's jaw worked but ultimately hung slack as he blinked owlishly at her. _Neji? Neji was…_

Sakura recovered first and eased down from her fighting stance, sighing, her anger visibly evaporating. Picking up Sarah, the kunoichi flopped carelessly back onto the couch, making it squeak and groan in response. "Now you've done it."

Hinata, though, had her attention on Naruto who remained frozen in place. "Naruto-kun, are you alright?"

Looking amused, Sakura helpfully prodded the blonde in his thigh with her toe, goading him into action.

"So Neji…" Naruto said slowly, shaking himself a little as he let his arms fall to his side. He blinked rapidly as he processed the information, slowly turning to face both women. "So Neji's gay?"

Naruto abruptly found himself on the floor with an excruciating headache and the inability to see straight. Knowing better than to stand, he remained where he was and peered blurrily at the gap between the floor of his apartment and the edge of the couch's cloth duster. Above him, Sakura and Hinata were both talking at the same time, making it hard to understand what each of them was saying.

"You idiot! Where the hell did you come up with that?"

"Naruto-kun, don't even think that! Neji-kun is not gay and he will be very offended if you suggest it!"

But the blonde's attention remained centered on the gap, riveted to the spot where he had just seen the flash of a pair of small pale feet followed shortly by a scaly tail. Naruto's heart began to pound rapidly in his chest, the abrupt ice-cold fear for Sasuke sending a spike of adrenaline straight through the blonde's core and chasing away the dizziness.

_Sasuke! Sasuke! Sasuke! _The thought rampaged through Naruto's mind, scattering his attempts to come up with a subtle way of rescuing the Uchiha without tipping off the fact that the brunet was in Konoha. Sasuke was in danger but simply reaching under the couch and hauling him out would mean even exposing his presence to Sakura and Hinata which meant certain death! He tried to ignore all the distractions and _**think**_ but then the girls started up again, destroying it all.

"How did you get the idea that he's gay from dolls?" Sakura's irritation was palpable.

Hinata almost sounded hysterical. "Naruto-kun, please, keep this to yourself!"

For a split second, Naruto felt pure resentment toward the pair of kunoichi above him. If they weren't here insisting on having this **stupid** conversation, Sasuke wouldn't be in danger right now! Looking up at the girls, Naruto opened his mouth to utter something scathing- something he would undoubtedly regret the moment he spoke- when from under the couch he heard a soft grunt, his sharp ears honing in on it easily.

The time for indecision was over!

"Rat!" Naruto roared, cutting through the chatter from above as he drummed his fingers frantically against the floorboards. "Ami! Get in here!!"

Throwing his arms wide to tangle in the kunoichi's legs as he did so, the blonde got his knees under him. Off balance, both girls fell backwards in a heap onto the couch and Naruto surged forward, pushing his upper body underneath the worn piece of furniture and pushing upward as fast as possible.

The sight of a small still body seemed to burn its way into Naruto's brain until the blonde realized that he was looking at the body of the ANBU figurine he'd thrown under with the Uchiha.

_Sasuke!_ Fearing that he may have inadvertently harmed the brunet, Naruto looked around helplessly until he found the other, reacting to the shouting from Sakura by overcompensating for the weight of the couch and its contents. The blonde stumbled around in an almost drunken manner, forced to teeter back and forth to keep the girls distracted enough not to look down at the floor and notice what was literally going on beneath their noses.

Still wearing the plastic ANBU mask, Sasuke was in one piece and didn't appear to be bleeding, something that Naruto was profoundly grateful for once he spotted the Uchiha. The same could not be said about the rat, however, since the small brunet had turned the animal into a pin cushion. Among the crimson darkened brown fur, Naruto could plainly see the bright colorful handles of several thumbtacks and pins sticking out in various angles but the blonde couldn't see which wound was making the rodent froth at the mouth though it could be from an injury Sasuke had inflicted by using the straightened paperclip in his hand.

The sudden exposure to light seemed to blind both the Uchiha and the rat and the pair paused momentarily in their fight, the rat hissing up at Naruto while Sasuke seized the opportunity to put more distance between himself and his furry opponent. If the situation had been different, Naruto would have cracked a joke about his friend running away from a fight but, as the brunet sprinted, his tiny arms and legs pumping for all he was worth, the blonde could do nothing but shove his foot forward so that Sasuke could get out of danger faster. Sasuke wasted no time and the shrunken ninja was scrambled up shallow tan incline to reach the hem of Naruto's orange pant leg.

Naruto held still as long as possible to give the Uchiha the time he needed to clamor up but the rat had recovered from the blonde's sudden appearance and was charging after Sasuke, still intent on eating the brunet. The rodent was pissed as hell and twice as mad, and Naruto moved his foot sharply to keep the rat at bay, saving Sasuke but not himself from harm as the rat sank its teeth into the top of his foot, tearing the thin skin, its long teeth grating on bone and sending white hot sparks of agony shooting up Naruto's leg. He shouted, cursing loudly, and this time the wobbling wasn't exaggerated in the slightest as he juggled the couch, hopping up and down on his uninjured leg.

"Ami!!" Naruto called again, trying to shake the rat off but unable to do so since applying more force would also knock Sasuke to the floor. From the direction of his room, the blonde heard an odd crash but he quickly dismissed the mild irritation that reared up as Ami finally appeared, barreling down the short hall at full speed.

Naruto would never say so out loud but he thought that very few people understood just how intimidating a spider in motion could be and, even though he had called her, the blonde still felt a chill go down his spine at the site, the urge to run making his leg muscles twitch. He lived with Ami but that didn't mean she didn't scare the pants off him now and then or that he was completely alright with spiders in general. There was a very important reason that the part of the human brain that fears the dark and knows the danger therein had survived to this day even after millions of years of evolution, and Naruto acknowledged it unabashedly. Part of the human species did and always would recognize that a spider of any size, tame or not, was a threat and that, once upon a time, humans used to be on their menu.

In an impressive leap, Ami cleared the remaining two feet separating her from her target, landing on the rat with perfect precision. The rodent did not cease moving as her fangs pierced it but instead released its grip on Naruto's foot and turned to attack the spider directly. The pair rolled off and away from the blonde's foot, tumbling across the floor and into the kitchen as the battle continued, the rat thrashing madly as Ami used her fangs to dig for its heart.

The unexpected sensation of something crawling up the inside of his pant leg made Naruto jump and yelp before he realized that it had to be the tiny Uchiha. As if to confirm this, there was a sharp sudden tug on his leg hair that was so hard Naruto had to bite his lip and tighten his grip on the couch to keep from slapping at the source. Another harsh warning tug and then Sasuke continued his climb, small hands and feet tickling as they moved against the blonde's skin, making Naruto flush brightly and his skin break out in gooseflesh as Sasuke moved from shin to thigh.

"Naruto…!" It came out as a growl from above, startling the blonde as he was abruptly reminded that he had guests over. "Put us down!"

Mindful of Sasuke, Naruto gently set his foot on the floor, his teeth sinking into his bottom lip as the action reminded him of his new wound. Against his leg, Sasuke had stopped climbing and was instead hugging the skin of Naruto's upper thigh, forcing the jinchuuriki to move awkwardly as he knelt to set the couch safely on the floor.

Neither of the girls looked too good and, concerned, the blonde ignored the instinctive urge to back away for his own self-preservation and instead reached forward to help them up.

"What the hell is your problem?!" Sakura screeched, flinging his hand away as soon as she was on her feet. With the exception of the bright spots of red in her cheeks, her face was unusually pale, her expression shaky as she glared weakly up at him, clutching Sarah protectively. "Making up some bullshit excuse about a rat just so you could throw us onto your furniture and nearly making us sick as you clown around! If you wanted us to leave so badly, you could have just said so, you idiot!"

As she spoke, Sakura was recovering, becoming more aggressive and this time Naruto did heed the impulse to stay out of the range of her fists. A sharp jolt of pain raced up his leg in the process but the blonde didn't dare look away from his angry teammate since any moment of inattention would invite her to strike.

"You're such an ass, Naruto!" Sakura exploded, unexpectedly bursting into tears and startling Naruto and Hinata both. "We came to explain and apologize but you…!"

"Sakura-chan…" The blonde floundered, not sure what to say. Should he comfort her, which would thereby confirm it was all a prank and that he was indeed an ass as she claimed? Or should he tell her that she was being overly sensitive and that there really had been a rat, which would insult her and make him seem like an ass anyway?

"But there really was a rat…" He said lamely but inside a spark of indignation smoldered. He had thought they were closer than this, that she knew him well enough to know he wouldn't insult her interests even if they weren't his own. If an activity was something she enjoyed, then even if he didn't understand it, the fact she liked it was all he needed to know. This didn't mean he was particularly interested in it or that he wanted to necessarily participate- if she enjoyed it then he'd let her enjoy it and keep any opinion to himself! How could she think he would belittle her about everything the had been through together?

Besides, it wasn't like he was the one on her doorstep quietly accusing her of liking the other kunoichi a bit more than normal!

"Oh yeah?" Sakura scrubbed at her eyes and shot him another glare before looking pointedly around her and waving her free hand dramatically when she saw no evidence of the rodent. The kunoichi turned her attention to Hinata, startling the other. "Can you use your Byakugan to find it?"

Tucking Josephine into the crook of her arm, the Hyuuga nodded and prepared to form the seal that would activate her kekkai genki only to have her hands roughly knocked apart.

"_**No!**_" Naruto said loudly, too loudly for the small apartment and the word seemed to echo off the surrounding walls, repeating softly in the silence that followed his outburst.

The girls stared at him, Hinata wearing a hurt expression, Sakura a resigned one.

"I mean…You see…" The blonde began, anxious to explain but having no idea how to do so without giving away his secret guest. Maybe he should tell Sakura about Sasuke? After all, she had wanted the Uchiha home just as much as Naruto had…

"See what, Naruto?" Sakura asked, seething, glaring at him.

Naruto frowned, his train of thought derailing as doubt worming its way through his thought. Between the two of them, Sakura had taken Tsunade's pronouncement much better but the blonde had always assumed it was because the Godaime had warned the younger kunoichi ahead of time. But what if that wasn't the case? What if Sakura had simply moved on with her life, had simply come to terms with the idea that their former teammate was lost to them and that when next they met, she would have to kill Sasuke? The idea was so outrageous to Naruto that it was almost too heinous to even contemplate.

But now that it was there, the thought remained, spreading like poison, making fear grip his galloping heart. What if he told Sakura and she reported him to Tsunade? Naruto would be punished, but, worse, he would also be forced to watch Sasuke be executed and the blonde wasn't certain if he would be able to take that quietly. No, in fact Naruto knew he wouldn't be able to; it would be completely against his nature and he would take on anyone who got in his way, would fight to his last breath to save the Uchiha.

Sasuke had burned a lot of bridges when he defected three years ago and it was entirely possible that Naruto remained the only person who still believed in him, who held onto the hope that the Uchiha would return to Konoha and be a powerful ally. If this was true, then the blonde absolutely couldn't tell anyone about Sasuke and the realization made Naruto feel incredibly alone.

He had a choice to make. If he continued to protect Sasuke, then the blonde would have to keep the secret to himself, which would mean keeping it from all of his friends. Naruto loathed keeping secrets; in his view, doing so was a violation and act of extreme disrespect to his precious people. But, on the other hand, if he told Sakura about Sasuke merely to soothe her ego, then it was highly possible that she may turn Naruto in anyway and then Sasuke would die as a result.

Sell-out a friend to die to save Naruto's sensibilities or keep the Uchiha's presence a secret and risk damaging his personal relationships?

At that moment, Naruto felt Sasuke move against his inner thigh and shifted automatically to hide the Uchiha's activity, well aware that it probably made him appear as if he was fidgeting guiltily. Irritably Naruto ran a hand through his hair, scrubbing through the spike harshly in agitation as he warred internally with himself.

_Sasuke __**so**__ owes me!_ "You got me." Naruto said at last, putting his hands behind his head and grinning broadly. "I didn't want to talk about your dolls so I just…"

The fist that rammed into his jaw was of little surprise but it sent him flying into the entertainment center against the far wall, the angle of the blow rotating him in midair. He landed on his upper back in a painful heap on the floor and stayed there, stunned and perilously close to passing out as he looked out through the frame of his legs, books and scrolls raining down around him. Throughout the impact, he unconsciously protected the Uchiha, keeping his legs out and away from the danger, his upper body instead taking the full brunt of the impact. His head bounced against the shelving as his body smashed into it a heartbeat later and Naruto saw stars explode behind his eyelids as he struggled for breath, the collision knocking the breath from his lungs.

"You're such an idiot, Naruto! Come on Hinata!" Sakura shouted, sounding incredibly far away as she stomped across his floor to the door. Dazed, he mutely watched as she flung the portal open, letting it bang against the wall loudly as she stalked out of the apartment, dragging the Hyuuga heiress behind her.

Oh yes, Sasuke so, **SO**, owed him.

"But, but what about Naruto-kun?" Hinata's voice was faint but it prompted him to open his eyes. "Is he all right?"

He made a small noise of pain and let his eyes close before gritting his teeth. Naruto let out a strained groan as he shifted his weight, making his body slide to the floor with a thump onto the splintered remains of his entertainment center. Now that his chest wasn't being compressed, he filled his lungs with a full breath and immediately regretted it as his ribs protested and sharp corners poked him.

"Dobe!" The voice came from, of all places, Naruto's crotch and the blonde blinked in confusion as he peered downward, vaguely wondering Sakura had finally hit him so hard that he was having a hallucination of his penis talking to him. The fabric of his pants shifted as a pale arm suddenly shot out from the gap at the top of his zipper and began pushing the metal grip down carefully. When enough of a gap had opened, Sasuke's head emerged and shortly after he yanked off the ANBU mask, revealing a flushed face surrounded by sweat matted hair. More of the Uchiha's upper body emerged as the hole widened and Sasuke took in a great lungful of air hungrily as he tore at his top, forced to practically peel the sweat soaked fabric off his skin.

"I'm fine." Naruto said faintly, trying to focus but it was hard and not completely because of his head injury. Because the brunet was straddling such a very sensitive part of the blonde's anatomy, Naruto was uncomfortably aware of Sasuke, could feel every breath, every twitch the shrunken ninja made to keep his balance without risking the blonde's chances of future procreation.

Against his will, Naruto's body was reacting to the minimal stimulation and the blonde could feel his face burning as a surprised Sasuke rose several inches higher without actually moving himself. The Uchiha froze comically, for the first time looking blatantly uncertain, his hands held at his sides away from his body to help him balance. Dark eyes met embarrassed blue and suddenly there was a palpable, unnamed tension in the air between them making it almost too thick to breathe.

Despite the blood he could feel pooling in it, Naruto's mouth felt inexplicably dry, his tongue swollen, and he knew that he should say something to dispel whatever was trying to cocoon them. It was dangerous, this thing, and should be stopped but he couldn't think of anything and it made his heart pound in his chest. Just when he had an idea, the small involuntary movements Sasuke made while trying not to move kept chasing away any hope of thought, as did the heat the Uchiha's half naked body seemed to radiate.

"Sasuke…" Why was his voice so soft? It made the situation seem more intimate than it was and extremely inappropriate. Naruto cleared his throat and the action somehow became a whole body movement, forcing Sasuke to grab at the material of the blonde's pants and squeeze his legs around the engorged shaft underneath him or be thrown off.

Naruto nearly went cross-eyed, barely managing to swallow back the groan building trying in his throat. Since he wasn't dating, masturbation was his only form of sexual release but Naruto had never felt the kind of reaction he was experiencing now when he touched himself and part of the blonde was both shocked and dismayed that he was having such a strong reaction to the bare squeeze Sasuke had given him. Maybe it was because he hadn't been aroused in such a long time since his recent bout of insomnia, the stress of his missions, and his concern over Sasuke had effectively killed his sex drive over the past few weeks.

Apparently, now that two out of the three issues had been resolved, his body was trying to make up for lost time.

_Sasuke's a guy- a GUY!_ Naruto thought furiously in an effort to will away his erection. He screwed his eyes shut and turned his head away, pressing his shoulder against what still stood of the ruined entertainment center. _He's a dude and we don't like dicks! We are very much a fan of boobs, remember?! Penis bad, vagina good! But, wow, that really had felt good… _Naruto shook his head, horrified. _No! Bad!_

"Naruto move!"

_Go away! I promise I'll take care of you later! _The blonde shook his head fiercely, clenching his jaw and concentrating. Naruto could finally feel himself calming down- Sasuke would just have to wait a few minutes! _Almost, almost, almost!_

"Dobe, move!" To punctuate the order, Sasuke rocked his hips and this time Naruto couldn't contain the groan as, in a flash, he was hard and aching again.

"Damn it, teme!" Naruto hissed, biting his lip in frustration, close to tears. He felt the absence of pressure as the Uchiha carefully stood and moved away. _He's gotta be so grossed out… _Despair, humiliation and shame coursed through the blonde, making his penis limp almost immediately. "I'm almost-"

"Dobe, _MOVE RIGHT NOW!_"

"I can't move right nAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!" Naruto screamed in agony, sitting bolt upright as the Uchiha used his whole body weight to crush one of the blonde's testicles.

A second later, the TV crashed to the floor right where Naruto's head and chest had been.

"Oh, my God, my nuts!" Naruto whimpered, cupping himself, his eyes watering copiously. "I can't believe you did that! I think it's broken!"

"I told you to move, dobe!" Sasuke said, defensively. "You can live without a testicle- you can't say the same about a crushed skull!"

The Uchiha was right next to his ear and it was only then that the jinchuuriki realized he had actually tipped forward and was resting with his forehead pressed against the debris strewn wooden floor, his ass up in the air with his legs spread. At any other time, he would have shifted position immediately but Naruto remained as he was, in too much pain to be embarrassed. A small hand placed itself on the shell of his ear but Naruto ignored it, instead whimpering and huffing as he kept his position and carefully ran his fingers over his injury. When he was satisfied that there would be no permanent damage, Naruto turned his head to glare weakly at the Uchiha, his eyes still wet with tears.

"I fucking hate you." The blonde sobbed quietly, shifting to lay down on his side.

Sasuke walked over and touched his forehead to Naruto's before moving again to stand in front of the blonde's face. "You're welcome. Come on, let's go get you some aspirin and see to your wounds."

Wiping at his eyes, Naruto nodded and turned his head to spit before sparing a moment to carefully prod his teeth with his tongue. When he was certain his molars wouldn't fall out, he pushed off the floor to stand, having to grope at the air blindly until a wave of dizziness passed and he could stumble over the debris at his feet on his way to shut the front door Sakura had left open. When that task was completed, the blonde paused by the wreckage to pick up Sasuke before continuing down the hall to the bathroom to clean up.

* * *

"Why did you capitulate to Sakura so easily?" Sasuke asked, carefully working yet another splinter out from underneath golden skin. Naruto had never been one to knuckle under for anything or anybody and the fact that he had for the kunoichi disturbed the brunet.

A small snort announced that the blonde had been asleep and the shoulder beneath the Uchiha moved as Naruto roused, nearly dislodging the tiny ninja atop it. "Kappa-what?"

Sasuke rolled his eyes before answering, appalled by his dobe's atrocious vocabulary. "Capitulate, dobe. It means 'to surrender or give in.' Why did you agree that the rat was a prank when it wasn't?"

Naruto yawned before answering, the sound echoing slightly off the bath water and the walls of the small tub. "No matter what I could have said, she'd already decided it was a prank and there's no point in arguing with Sakura when she's already made up her mind. She just hits me until I say she's right."

"She hits you? All the time?" Sasuke asked, hesitating briefly before resuming his work. Considering Sakura's immense strength, it was a miracle that Naruto 1) wasn't comatose, 2) didn't have a misshapen head and 3) wasn't dead. Once he was his normal size again, the Uchiha was going to have a long, long talk with Sakura about what happens to people who abused that which did not belong to them. Nobody laid hands on Naruto- no one. Scowling, the brunet tossed another piece of wood onto the pile already on the tub rim, picked up the wash cloth next to him, and gently dabbed at the blood leaking from the wound until it ceased bleeding.

The Uchiha had been the one to suggest a relaxing tub once Naruto had stripped his shirt off and began trying to remove the wooden debris embedded in his skin himself. The key word was 'trying' since Naruto couldn't actually see the fragments and only blindly feel for them, thus inflicting more damage when he inadvertently pushed them deeper. Sasuke had offered to help while Naruto watched in the mirror but that effort had been short lived and futile since the blonde kept tensing up at odd intervals, making the frustrated brunet's attempts useless. Thankfully, now that Naruto was relaxed due to a combination of the medicine, the warmth of the water and the bath salts the Uchiha had thrown in and staying that way since he couldn't watch Sasuke work, things were going much more smoothly.

"Not all the time." Naruto said, shrugging, tilting his head and resting it against the cool tile to his right. When he said nothing further, Sasuke frowned unhappily but, for now, let the subject go without further prodding.

Silence settled around them but it was companionable and pleasant, lulling Naruto back to sleep as the brunet worked. The Uchiha let him sleep, too preoccupied with pulling the last splinter from his former teammate's shoulder. A small plume of steam wafted upward as the process finished and Sasuke watched in fascination as the skin knit itself back together seamlessly, dabbing at the newly healed skin to remove all traces of the injury. Keeping track of the wounds made by the splinters, the brunet had seen the procedure repeated exactly one hundred and ninety seven times and every instance it was just as interesting as the first time he'd witnessed it. Beneath the Uchiha's feet, Naruto's skin was smooth and perfect and it was all thanks to the Kyuubi that resided within the blonde.

He scowled, feeling grateful yet strangely underappreciated until he revised the thought. The fox couldn't claim all the credit- it was Sasuke pulling out the splinters that allowed the demon to heal the wound so easily, after all. Mollified, Sasuke puffed out his chest self importantly and strode along the jinchuuriki's shoulders to reach the splinters embedded in the back of Naruto's head.

"You're going to need a new television." Sasuke said absently when all the wood had been removed and the injuries healed. He took a seat under the blonde's exposed ear and leaned back against the long tan column of his friend's throat, soaking up the warmth pooling against his bare back. Though Naruto had gotten into the bath completely nude, Sasuke had opted to remain in his sleep pants as he worked in an effort to ensure the blonde's comfort around him after "the incident."

Closing his eyes, Sasuke smirked confidently to himself, his heart feeling incredibly light. Naruto was trying to pretend that nothing had happened earlier and, for the moment, the Uchiha was willing to do the same as he bided his time.

There was hope for them and the Uchiha clung to it like a life line

It was absolutely possible that the blonde's erection was a natural reaction caused solely by the physical stimulation Sasuke had inadvertently caused, but the brunet doubted that this was so. Naruto's body had reacted too strongly and immediately for it to be a mere reflex. No, there had to be more behind it and the Uchiha deduced that something much more complex was the culprit, that Naruto had had a sexual reaction to _Sasuke_.

One of many, sexual chemistry was nonetheless an important building block when initiating a successful relationship and Sasuke was going to use it to full advantage as he sought to repair the damage his previous foolishness had thoughtlessly wrought. Naruto may blindly forgive him but part of Sasuke knew that it would be hollow, that he would have to earn his redemption with his own hands if he wanted to truly be worthy of the dobe.

Acting on their lust would be impossible given their current sizes but that would not stop the Uchiha from slowly seducing the blonde with his sincere feelings. He'd woo Naruto and, eventually when Sasuke regained his normal size, he'd be able to prove the blonde that homosexuality was nothing to be ashamed of and did not equal being weak, a conclusion Sasuke suspected Naruto may have jumped to. He'd make the blonde happy and, in private, worship all that golden skin to both their hearts' content.

But none of that would happen unless he started making amends now; he'd been given an inch, but crossing the remain distance between he and his goal was up to Sasuke.

Shivering from cold, the Uchiha nodded to himself and stood, turning to tug gently on the blonde's ear lobe. The water had to be cooling by now and it was unlikely that Naruto would be able to catch a cold, Sasuke was unwilling to take the risk. Pulling harder on the flesh in his hand, the brunet prepared himself in case Naruto came awake violently and began calling softly for the other to wake up.

There was no sound of warning, only the sudden sensation of foreign eyes on his back, and Sasuke slowly turned to look behind him at the doorway, expecting Ami to be the one causing him to feel ill at ease.

He was half right.

Holding a covered basket in one hand and petting Ami where she sat on his shoulder with the other, Sai, Sasuke's replacement on Team Seven, blinked down at the Uchiha.

Since when had Naruto's apartment been so damn popular?

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Please Review.


	6. A Piece of the Action

**Chapter Six: A Piece of the Action**

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*** denotes that time has passed and the previous point of view continued

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"You are bleeding."

Out of all the possible conversation starters Sai could have chosen, those words were not ones Sasuke had anticipated. The moment the Uchiha had realized that he and Naruto were not alone, his mind had begun racing through the possible outcomes of the situation so that Sasuke would be ready to counter any of Sai's arguments. Since physically stopping the other was out of the question, the tiny ninja would have to use persuasion as his weapon, something that hinged exclusively on accurately reading an opponent.

It required more social skills than Sasuke currently possessed and so he remained silent after the other spoke, staring up at the blank faced artist.

Sai set the basket he held onto the floor then used both hands to coax Ami from his shoulder. After a quick rub against a pale cheek, the spider went willingly from its perch and allowed itself to be placed carefully on the floor as well and it was as Ami walked away that Sasuke noticed she was missing a leg. It was easy to miss since the resulting stub had been wrapped with a black bandage that blended in with her natural coloring.

So, Ami hadn't gotten away unscathed from her battle to protect he and Naruto. Sasuke made a mental note to allow her free use of his sundeck.

"Sasuke-kun, you are bleeding." Sai said again, slightly louder this time, as if he thought that Sasuke's ability to hear had been damaged when his size had been compromised.

Only Sasuke's quick reflexes saved him from taking a header into the bath water as behind him Naruto snorted and the shoulder the Uchiha stood on shifted abruptly.

_Fucking moron! _Sasuke glared at Sai, mouth a thin line as he pressed his lips together tightly in irritation.

Showing the first real signs of emotion the Uchiha had seen, Sai frowned before speaking at a louder volume. "Sasuke-kun, I said-"

"I can hear you!" Sasuke snapped waspishly, mentally dubbing Sai as 'Dobe number 2.' He opened his mouth to tell the former ROOT member to shut the hell up but, before he could utter a syllable, the tan shoulder beneath him rolled suddenly as the blonde came awake with a jerk and this time the Uchiha was not fast enough to avoid a dip.

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Naruto yawned as he woke, automatically stretching his arms over his head and twisting slightly at the waist to accommodate the movement when his elbows scraped against cold tile of the wall. He scrubbed a hand through his hair, wincing when his fingers snagged on a tangle, and began looking around for Sasuke, wondering if he could con the Uchiha into combing the knot out.

"Hey Teme," The blond whined, inwardly smiling as he schooled his expression into a childish pout. He leaned back, looking around for the silent brunet. "Can you…"

Naruto damn near swallowed his tongue when he saw Sai in the doorway, the artist dressed in a black shirt with matching pants, immediately alleviating the fear that Team 7 had been assigned a mission. The blond's mouth opened and closed around a strangled sound as he startled in surprise, pushing his back against the porcelain of the tub in the process.

The action seemed to alarm Sai and the artist took a step toward the tub with a hand outstretched, his eyes wide. "Naruto, lean forward immediately!"

"Wha…?" It was then that Naruto felt an odd sensation against his lower back, a fluttering that quickly turned to pain, almost like small hands clawing at his skin… Horror crashed over the blond, spurring him to immediately stand and turn toward the source of the disturbance. Water sluicing off his skin, Naruto knelt and carefully cupped his hands around the dazed looking Uchiha, pulling the other from the water. "Oh, God, Sasuke I'm so sorry!"

Red faced, Sasuke didn't say anything, too busy coughing to even glare up at the blond as he held his chest. It was only after the fit had passed that the shivering wet Uchiha responded, shooting Naruto the bird before wrapping both hands around his chest, grimacing every time he breathed.

"Teme!" Naruto shot to his feet so fast that only Sai's timely support kept the blond from falling back into the water or dropping the Uchiha. Even with the artist's help, Naruto clumsily stumbled over the edge of the tub to the bathmat, his attention firmly remaining on the tiny brunet in his hands. "Speak to me! Are you okay?! I'm sorry, I didn't know that you were there! I fell asleep and then seeing Sai-"

Naruto was panicking, his hands shaking even as he fought to keep them still long enough to dry the other, nearly dropping the Uchiha several times in the process until Sai intervened and deftly plucked Sasuke from the blond's grasp.

"I believe you have bruised his ribs, Naruto." The artist explained calmly, sitting down on the closed lid of the toilet. While Naruto hovered uncertainly, Sai grabbed hold of the hems of the diminutive brunet's soaked pants and tugged the fabric off, then grabbed a dry, clean washcloth and swaddled Sasuke with it, being careful all the while not to press the Uchiha's skin too firmly or jar him more than necessary.

It was all done with such speed and efficiency that part of the blonde felt jealous and strangely hurt by it, but the emotions were diminished by the more prominent feelings of guilt and fear plaguing him.

Sai smiled up at the blond and held a rather flustered looking Sasuke up for Naruto to take but the jinchuuriki stepped back, suddenly afraid to touch the Uchiha.

"You hold on to him while I get dressed." Naruto muttered, pretending to be preoccupied with wrapping his own towel around his waist. He glanced up and, though Sai's expression remained detachedly pleasant, Sasuke's had gone completely blank, a clear indication that the Uchiha was upset.

Guilt gnawed at the blond, as did the urge to reassure his injured friend, and it was the latter that prompted him to flee, retreating behind his closed bedroom door.

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"Did Sakura really do that to the television?" Sai asked, not looking up from treating Sasuke's wounds as he sat at the kitchen table. He was using a soft paintbrush to coat the Uchiha's upper body with a medical salve, carefully working the greasy stuff into the bruises now mottling the normally pale skin.

The tiny ninja grunted, immediately regretting the minimal action when it made his ribs ache. As momentary as it had been, he had still been crushed between Naruto's broad back and the unforgiving porcelain tub, and now his ability to breathe had been seriously compromised. Sinking his teeth into his bottom lip to keep quiet, Sasuke shifted as he sat the wrong way in the small kitchen chair Naruto had bought him, his knuckles turning white as they gripped the back of the wooden chair. Moving in any direction hurt a lot more than the Uchiha was willing to admit and so he remained as straight as he could, ignoring the cool air around him and the sensation of the washcloth knotted at his waist digging harshly into his skin, taking only shallow breaths as he waited for the artist to finish.

Sai's paintbrush ghosted over the Uchiha's shoulder and down his arm, generously bathing the blossoming bruises there and leaving a cool tingling sensation in its wake. The concoction was from the basket Sai had had with him, the whole thing an apology present from Hinata, and Sasuke immediately realized that the salve was less medicinal and more a topical anesthetic, something that he was grateful for. The salve could only take away the surface pain of his bruised skin, not the remaining pain of the deeper musculoskeletal injuries underneath but it lessened it, enabling the diminutive brunet to get a slightly better breath.

He made a mental note to remind Naruto to thank the Hyuuga heiress for her generosity and thoughtfulness even if she was partially to blame for the whole situation.

"Why are you here?" Sasuke blamed the angry edge to his voice on the lingering pain of his collective injuries and not on the territorial jealousy he was feeling. It annoyed the Uchiha that Sai was present in Naruto's home unannounced and it irritated him even further to note that the artist had brought a backpack with him, the small bag sitting innocuously near the apartment's entrance along with Sai's sandals.

"Hand's up please, Sasuke-kun." Sai requested, putting his brush down to exchange it with a roll of gauze bandages, winding them carefully around the Uchiha's middle once Sasuke complied. "It is movie night, a tradition Naruto started to help me be normal."

_Movie night? _"Normal?" Sasuke repeated then hissed, immediately gritting his teeth together because inhaling to speak made his ribs burn.

"While in ROOT, I underwent special psychological training to kill my emotions. Naruto says my lack of empathy makes me stand out on missions."

The Uchiha grunted as Sai finished, pulling the bandages a little tighter than Sasuke felt necessary as the artist tied the ends together into a small knot over the shrunken ninja's lower back. Sasuke took several seconds to breathe slowly, getting used to the restricting tightness of the bandages before speaking.

"Movie night's been canceled. Go home." The diminutive brunet said, grabbing the corners of the washcloth pooling around his waist and standing stiffly, immediately regretting it and nearly falling to the floor again when he felt lightheaded. He wobbled but determinedly righted himself, forcing himself to focus on the mess across the room, picking out little details of the mess and memorizing them. He'd used the same tactic in Sound when Orochimaru's training had left him in a similar disoriented state and Sasuke did not wish to pass out again in front of the Sannin. He'd done it once before and woken up with marker- **Marker?!**- all over his face, Orochimaru and Kabuto giggling like idiots once Sasuke roused. It was not an experience he ever wanted to repeat since it had taken the Uchiha days of scrubbing to get the black mustache under his nose, the glasses around his eyes and the kanji for 'avenger' on his forehead off.

_Stupid, moronic, idiot excuse for…a… Sann… _Sasuke stumbled again but managed to catch himself, trying hard to hold onto his remembered anger while clutching tightly at the washcloth saving him from total nudity. The room began to blur then take on fuzzy edges and before he knew it, Sasuke's eyes were rolling into the back of his head.

***

"Is he alright?!" Like a physical slap, Naruto's booming voice brought the Uchiha back so abruptly from oblivion that Sasuke felt his body already attempting to assume an attack position even before he was fully awake. Attempt was the operative word; there seemed to be some sort of vice surrounding Sasuke's chest that tightened painfully every time he had to take a breath and this limiting of his lung capacity caused him to have a mild panic attack as his body instinctively fought against the restriction.

_There's air, there's air, there's… Why isn't there any air?!_ The more he tried to breathe, the less ability he seemed to have to do so and soon the Uchiha was fighting to calm himself while his heart tried to claw its way out of his throat. It was like drowning on dry land, as if the air had turned into some thick liquid around him even though he knew that, logically, this was not the case since he could see that neither Sai nor Naruto were having problems.

"Teme? Say something!" Sudden pressure on his ribs made stars explode behind Sasuke's eyes in psychedelic bursts, making the image of Naruto and Sai staring down at him disappear from view. His mouth opening and closing uselessly, the Uchiha tried to find enough air to speak, desperate to make Naruto to let him go and stop pushing on his Goddamn chest.

"Naruto, you're hurting him." Sai said conversationally and Sasuke felt more fingers encircle him though these ones by-passed his chest in favor of gripping the Uchiha by his legs.

"But-!" Naruto reluctantly let go and Sasuke felt himself falling backwards until he was completely vertical. His outrage over the indignity of it all was waylaid by his regained ability to breathe and after wrapping his arms around his chest the Uchiha took short halting breaths, sucking in as much oxygen as his injuries allowed, feeling his face heat as blood rushed to his head.

"His ribs are injured," Sai explained in a maddeningly patient voice, as if he weren't dangling Sasuke like some prized hunting trophy. The artist was even pointing to the area under discussion, that strange smile of his firmly in place. "It means he can't get a normal breath. Pushing on them aggravates the damage."

Worried blue eyes prominent, the image of Naruto's face swam into view and Sasuke blinked tiredly at the other. Now that the issue of air had been solved, the tiny ninja felt strangely exhausted and he let his arms fall to swing above his head.

"I'm sorry, Sasuke." Naruto said, and the Uchiha made a vague gesture of dismissal as he forced himself to let his anger over the situation go, already knowing that the blonde was sincere in his apology. Overzealous as he may be, Naruto would, and could, only ever be Naruto, after all, and it was one of the things Sasuke loved about him.

Sasuke, though, was going to have to get stronger very quickly if he wanted to continue safely living with the blond. He'd gone soft and that was going to have to change immediately.

"Put me down!" He demanded, though it came out much weaker than he intended. He could feel his eyelids fluttering, his head pounding as the muscles of his neck strained to fight against gravity and keep him looking in Naruto's direction.

"Here Naruto." Sai said, and the Uchiha swore that the idiot sounded smug as he moved his hand, and thus Sasuke, closer to the blond.

Looking both alarmed and afraid, however, Naruto jumped back, hiding his hands behind his back and shaking his head.

A wave of rejection smashed through the Uchiha's body, making his heart ache fiercely, and he forced his face smooth to hide what he was feeling as, after a moment's hesitation, Sai set the tiny ninja down gently onto the kitchen table. Sasuke allowed himself a few minutes of rest, staring at the ceiling as he let his body acclimate itself to being horizontal again.

An uncomfortable silence tried to settle around them but was thwarted as Sai spoke.

"My, Sasuke-kun, is your penis that small when you're normal size, too?"

_What the HELL?!_ The Uchiha felt a vein in his temple throb painfully as all the anger he'd thought previously conquered rose up again in mutiny. He surged to his feet, ready to show Sai exactly how displeased he was with the comment, already so angry he was nearly shaking from adrenaline as he stomped across the table toward the smiling artist. Sai was dead! No- Sasuke would break his fingers first! _Let's see how useful an artist you are when you can't even hold…. a… bru… _

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"He is alright, Naruto." The artist said, his tone not quite as reassuring as the words.

Though he didn't, Naruto nodded as if he believed the other, too concerned with the limp figure cradled between his hands. The blond had automatically reached out once Sasuke stood, ready to catch the other despite his now all too real fear of inadvertently hurting his friend, and it was only due to Naruto's quick intervention that prevented Sasuke from hitting the table as he passed out.

"Teme?" Naruto asked the pale, silent figure. Beneath his fingertips, he could feel the steady, if stilted, rise and fall of Sasuke's chest, and the blonde's sharp ears could clearly hear the regular beat of the Uchiha's heart. Sasuke looked so small, so fragile against the background of Naruto's large tan hands.

Two days under Naruto's care and Sasuke was more bruised and battered than he'd been when he arrived.

Sai took a few steps toward the bedroom, drawing the blonde's attention away from his study of the Uchiha. "Naruto, perhaps we should dress him before he catches a cold?"

"Yeah." The jinchuuriki said, nodding absently as he stood and followed his teammate to the bedroom. The last thing Sasuke needed was to catch a cold, not when he could already barely breathe. Shifting Sasuke to one hand and taking the lead as they entered the room, Naruto grabbed the handles of one of the shopping bags as he walked past it on his way to the bed. "Yeah, I bought him some clothes yesterday."

He upended the bag over the bed, dumping the contents over the comforter haphazardly before carelessly tossing the empty bag over his shoulder. Sai began sorting through the strewn merchandise, separating the cellophane wrapped packages into various piles while Naruto sat down near the head of the bed in a clear space, his attention automatically falling on the Uchiha still held protectively in his grasp. He idly stroked Sasuke's hair as he shifted slightly to watch Sai, cupping his hands around the unconscious ninja to protect him from the cool air of the room, and wished that he had chosen to wear a shirt with a pocket when getting dressed earlier.

"Naruto, all of these are doll clothes." Sai said at length, the artist's brow puckering slightly as his mouth turned down in a frown.

"Well, yeah." The blond said, feeling both perplexed and put out as a wave of déjà vu washed over him. Hadn't he already had this conversation with Sasuke? Irritated, Naruto snatched up a random pair of pajamas from a pile without seeing them and absently ripped the cellophane open with his teeth before spitting the packaging away. "What else is he going to wear?"

_Slowly, slowly, slowly…_ Ignoring Sai for the moment and reining in his anger, Naruto forced himself to move carefully as he dressed Sasuke. Though the pants went on with relative ease, it was a different story for the Uchiha's arms and the blonde had to concentrate as he manipulated them through the sleeves of the pajama top, the fabric repeatedly slipping through Naruto's clumsy fingers. It was frustrating work but ultimately he succeeded and when he was done, he smiled broadly up at Sai, pleased with himself.

"Naruto…" The artist began, an odd expression on his face as he looked down at the now dressed Sasuke. When Naruto only looked up him in puzzlement, Sai seemed to switch gears, his face smoothing into its usual pleasant blankness as he turned his attention back to the bed, long fingers sifting through Sasuke's wardrobe again.

"How long has Sasuke-kun been… compromised?" Sai's already low voice was soft as he took a seat on the bed, dark eyes coming to rest on Sasuke's tiny body, still cradled protectively between Naruto's large hands.

"A while." Naruto said evasively, looking away and pretending to examine the doll house sitting near his closet. It was incredibly out of place in his room, sticking out like a sore thumb despite the fact that Ami was using it, her long furry legs clearly visible through the front door as she lounged in the entrance of the construction.

"How long has he been in Konoha?" Sai's voice was still soft, still low.

Instantly wary, Naruto turned toward him sharply, instinctively searching for any sign of judgment or subterfuge in either his teammate's expression or tone. Silence stretched between them for several moments, the tension finally broken when the blond sucked in a breath and blew it out noisily, his shoulders sagging as he laid Sasuke gently on the pillow nearby.

"Not long." The blond said, mentally kicking himself; Sasuke and his lame answers were such a bad influence. Naruto watch Sai carefully as the artist nodded thoughtfully, clearly mulling over both what had been said and what had not.

Sai stood and walked over to the doll house. Kneeling beside it, he lifted the latch on the side of the house and opened the two halves slowly until the entire interior of it was revealed. "I do not think Sasuke-kun wants you to die with him, Naruto."

"No one is going to die!" Naruto snapped, darting a look in Sasuke's direction and only relaxing after verifying that the Uchiha was still asleep. The blond returned his attention to Sai and made a soft sound of outrage once he saw what the other was doing. "Put that down!"

"You haven't told him of Godaime-sama's orders?" Sai asked, sounding unconcerned with the other's distress as he continued to examine the small doll-sized bed he held. "You haven't told him that the Uchiha district as he knew it has been destroyed?"

"I…" Naruto felt his mouth move but no sound came out, his throat constricting around a sudden lump. He looked at the bedspread then at Sasuke beside him and felt his eyes grow hot, his chest tight. How did you tell someone that their childhood home was gone and that the land had been repurposed by the government? How did you tell someone that they had nothing, not even their name since it was now publicly a taboo? Konoha was putting the past to rest, ridding itself of all traces of the Uchiha and if Sasuke didn't know about it, then, cowardly as it may be, Naruto did not want to be the one to inform him.

Naruto had wanted to protect Sasuke from the harsh truth for as long as possible while the other recovered but now that he was recovering, the blond couldn't seem to find the right time and just kept making excuses. He'd tell him once the Uchiha was over the poison. Or once he woke up. Or once the jutsu wore off. Or… later

"You cannot keep it from him, Naruto." Sai said quietly and though the blond knew the artist was right, he still could not stop himself from glaring at the calm brunet still fingering the doll furniture. Sai had set the bed back in its original placement inside the house and had soundlessly begun exploring the contents of the bags around him and the doll house. He had set out a set of plain straight back chairs alongside a low night table flanked by a blue, overstuffed armchair.

Sai looked over the furniture and the dollhouse pointedly before locking eyes with the blond sitting morosely on the bed. "Sasuke-kun is your friend, Naruto, and though you wish to keep him safe, you cannot lock him away in here like a possession. He has a right to know and you have a duty to tell him."

"I can't…" Naruto said, the anguish he felt clear in his voice. His eyes were too hot and he scrubbed at them irritably, angrily swallowing a sob. He didn't even understand why he was so upset, just that he was and that Sai wasn't helping.

The artist stood and walked with care to the bed. "Did he ask you to protect him?"

"No." The blond whispered, sniffling, feeling foolish. Sasuke could be at death's door and still wouldn't ask for help, the stubborn ass.

"Then he did not knowingly place you in jeopardy." The comment made Naruto look at him in confusion and, though Sai's perfect posture did not change, a tension seemed to seep out of the artist's body. "I would have been unable to forgive him if he had done otherwise."

Naruto blinked at him, frowning until the meaning of his friend's words sunk in. The blond smiled gently and blushed delicately, feeling oddly warm. It was incredibly reassuring to know that his friends wanted to protect him. He scratched the back of his head and looked away, unsure exactly what to say except an awkward, "Thanks, Sai."

Sai smiled and it was the shy, unsure little smile Naruto had only just begun to see on a regular basis. It made the artist look timid but it was a genuine expression, evidence of real emotion. It had taken a lot of time, encouragement and praise to get Sai to smile like that and Naruto grinned broadly at the artist in appreciation.

Naruto's smile dimmed then disappeared as he became serious. Before this went any further, he needed to know one very important fact and the anxiety over Sai's answer tied the blonde's stomach into painful knots. Naruto did not know what to do, didn't know how he would respond once he had the other's answer- either answer- and his anxiety mounted, the knots turning into butterflies as he thought.

Shinobi rule #35, a ninja's duty first and foremost is to his village in all respects. Naruto had not told Sakura of Sasuke's presence for fear that she would inform Tsunade and the same fear applied here as well to Sai. The artist had been a member of the elite ROOT division of ANBU and though Naruto had slowly been beating humanity back into Sai, this did not mean that Sai held any loyalty to Naruto. Duty had been etched into the artist from birth?

There seemed to be a whole damn swarm in his stomach, making him feel nauseous, but he swallowed it, ignoring the sensation as much as possible.

"Sai," Naruto began, unsure exactly how to ask except to be blunt about it. Taking a breath, the blond tried to mentally prepare himself before looking the artist in the eye. "Are you going to tell the Hokage that he's here?"

Sai's face took on a pleasantly blank expression as he watched the blond. It was the face he wore on missions when he wanted to hide what he was thinking and seeing it made the butterflies in Naruto's stomach take flight again restlessly. Silence stretched between them and, though Naruto forced himself to keep eye contact with the other, his fingers did begin playing nervously over the fabric of the comforter in an effort to burn off some of his nervous energy.

"You are scared." The artist stated quietly, still giving nothing away.

"Yes." Naruto said, seeing no reason to hide the truth.

Sai tilted his head to the side, the movement birdlike and somehow predatory. "Will you stop me if I say yes?"

"No." Sai was a friend and Naruto would not harm his friends for doing what they technically were supposed to do. Naruto was the one in violation of the Tsunade's direct orders and he had done so of his own volition, willingly harboring someone who he was supposed to kill.

"Sasuke-kun is very important to you, isn't he?" There was something in Sai's tone, some note that made the question much more complex than it should have been and Naruto frowned, his anxiety hampering his ability to tease out the underlining context. As it was, he could barely hear the artist's soft voice over the rapid beat of his own heart, of the blood pounding through his temples spurred on by the extra adrenaline in his system.

Taking the question at face value, Naruto thrust out his chin petulantly and stated proudly, "He's my friend."

"Then there is nothing to be done about it." Sai sighed suddenly, breaking eye contact by looking in Sasuke's direction. The artist's expression hardened and the blond instinctively became wary. "I will keep Sasuke-kun's presence a secret but you must tell him everything Naruto, including what will happen to you if he is found. If you do not, I will turn him into the ANBU."

The butterflies didn't exactly go away but they did ease enough for Naruto to calm down a bit from his tense state. He swallowed, feeling generally unwell and far from relieved as a heavy weight seemed to settle over his shoulders. Now that he had Sai's answer, Naruto would have to do damage control should Sasuke be discovered. The blond was fully willing to put his life on the line to protect the Uchiha but that was his job, his duty as Sasuke's former teammate. Sai had no such responsibility and the blonde had the sneaking suspicion that the artist was only agreeing to be involved so that he could protect Naruto from harm if things turned ugly.

_I will not forget this._ He pledged to the other silently, his eyes feeling hot as he held out his hand in a tight fist with only his pinky extended. _If we are found out I will not let you fall with me, Sai._

Sai merely stared at his hand uncomprehendingly.

"Pinky swear." Naruto ordered, crooking his little finger pointedly. "It means that each of us will keep our word, no matter what."

After a moment's hesitation, Sai wrapped his little finger around Naruto's, remaining passive as the blond shook their hands and nodding when the jinchuuriki looked at him.

"It's a promise." Naruto said solemnly, releasing the other.

"It's a promise." Sai said in the same manner, taking back his hand as his face took on a thoughtful expression. "Does this mean I am a conspirator?"

"Conspirator?" The blond asked, trying hard to place the word and failing. He rubbed at his eyes, feeling oddly drained now that the drama was over.

"Partner in crime?" Sai offered, a lilt in his voice making it a question. He pulled a small book from his back pocket and thumbed through the pages until he found the appropriate entry. "A plotter, schemer or conniver."

Naruto winced visibly at the damning words but could think of no argument with which to defend himself against them. Technically, he was now all of those things though they sounded so underhanded, so unseemly, that the blond had a tough time accepting them. He was protecting his friend, not out to cause harm.

"Yeah," The blond said softly, looking down at the Uchiha behind him. "Yeah, we're conspirators." _Until I become Hokage, at least._

"Then shall we conspire to continue with our original plans?" Sai actually sounded as if he found the whole situation mildly funny and Naruto looked at him to find the other smiling.

The artist was right- brooding and worrying would get him nowhere- and Naruto scrubbed a hand through his hair irritably before patting his cheeks sharply. "Right! Before we can watch any movies, we need a TV!"

"I believe the mess in the living room should be addressed first, Naruto." Sai suggested, still smiling.

"Um." Naruto nodded then grabbed the hem of his shirt and yanked it over his head to expose his chest. Chucking the worn one away, he practically leapt off the bed, already opening his closet as he spoke. "Lemme change my shirt, and we'll get started!"

"What was wrong with your other shirt?"

Finding the one he wanted, Naruto pulled the new shirt off its hanger and shrugged it on, turning and pointing to his chest at the pocket sewn over his heart. Grinning, he returned to the bed and picked up Sasuke, depositing the sleeping brunet gently inside the fabric pouch.

"The pajamas should keep him warm enough but I don't want to risk it." Naruto said with a sweeping gesture that encompassed the room. "You know how cold it gets in here."

Sai nodded in understanding then frowned slightly as he looked in Sasuke's direction. "Is there a reason you dressed him in that particular pair? I do not know him as well as you do, but pink may not be appreciated."

"They give him color." Naruto said dismissively. "Besides, the teme's an animal lover. He'll get a kick out of the teddy bears."

Sai's frown did not disappear but he nodded nonetheless, clearly perplexed but unwilling to pry. The brunet turned toward Naruto's night stand and picked up a piece of paper, opening it and reading the message. "Did Sakura leave you dinner before or after she slammed you into the television?"

"Eh heh…" Naruto scratched the back of his head and grinned sheepishly. "That note's a little old. She visited a few days ago… "

He turned back to the closet and opened the door wider before squatting down. Balancing on the balls of his feet, he leaned forward and gripped the large sheet wrapped television sitting innocently in the corner of his closet. Beside the appliance were four boxes with Sasuke's name on them, the cardboard struggling to keep its shape around the contents and failing, and Naruto sighed inwardly, feeling depressed as he looked at them.

When Tsunade had told him of her plans, he had felt so betrayed by her that, for the first time, he had wanted to lash out at her. He had accidentally broken her office desk when he'd slammed his hands on it but that minor act hadn't been enough to ease the monumental ache in his chest after hearing what she planned to do. In a childish act of rebellion, he had snuck into the teme's house with the sole intention of salvaging as much of Sasuke's former home as possible so that it would not be lost forever once everything was demolished.

Four overstuffed boxes and a TV were all that remained of an estate that had ranged over acres and had been present since Konoha was founded.

It rained the day of the demolition but that made no difference to the construction crew who from dawn did their job with merciless efficiency, systematically destroying each building, gradually reducing the entire Uchiha district to soulless piles of rubble and wood.

Heedless of the weather and the time, Naruto watched it all day from his perch on the decorated wall that quartered off the district, the hand painted red and white Uchiha fans weathered from age and almost lost amongst the many lines of bright yellow caution tape crisscrossing the area. Every building lost was like a blow to the blonde's heart and, by midday when the demolition crew had reached Sasuke's former residence, Naruto was crying, his tears hidden by the rain pouring down on him. That was when Sakura and Sai had joined him, bracketing him on either side as Sai held an umbrella to shield the trio from the rain while Sakura laid her head on the blonde's shoulder and wept with him as Sasuke's house fell.

_Four fucking boxes…! How am I going to tell Sasuke?! _

"Naruto?"

The blond blinked slowly and looked in the direction of the voice, staring at Sai uncomprehendingly as the alarmed looking brunet pulled a handkerchief from his pocket, knelt, and began dabbing gently at Naruto's face. It was only then that the blond realized that there were tears on his cheeks and he nearly dropped the TV in surprise.

"If you break that one, we will have to think of another activity for the night." Sai said pleasantly, peering into the closet and spotting the boxes. Choosing not to comment, he finished drying the blonde's embarrassment flushed cheeks and moved out of the way as Naruto stood, television held securely between his hands.

The artist led the way out of the room and into the kitchen, helping the blond set the TV on the table once Naruto joined him. Fetching the broom, dustpan and the trashcan, Sai handed the latter two to the blonde with a smile and headed for the destroyed entertainment center, Naruto trailing obediently behind him.

***

"I think a comedy would be best." The artist said loudly from the living room once they were done. Sitting on the floor, the replacement television was already plugged in and connected to the VCR, ready and waiting for the pair to choose their movie.

In the kitchen, Naruto nodded absently in agreement even though he was not in the mood to laugh and heard Sai move about as the artist chose a title from the blonde's collection. The butterflies from earlier seemed to have migrated from his stomach to his brain, making his mind buzz with thoughts, all of which were more complicated than Naruto wanted to address. He busied himself with the mindless task of making dinner, waiting for the water for their instant ramen to finish boiling and pouring it into the containers the closing the lids after mechanically to allow the noodles to cook. He placed both onto a tray along with two glasses of freshly poured milk and a pair of chopsticks for each of them, and carried the tray into the living room where Sai had already started the movie.

Naruto was going to have to tell Sasuke everything tomorrow and he had no idea how to do it.

* * *

Sai eased the sleeping blond down from his upright placement into a more comfortable position across the couch cushions then turned toward the television to shut off the movie. Heading into the hallway, the artist raided the linen closet for a blanket and returned to the living room to tuck the fabric around Naruto, smoothing it across the broad chest then carefully tucking it around the lump that marked Sasuke-kun's position in the blonde's shirt pocket. Sai quietly gathered the dishes and brought them into the kitchen, throwing away the ramen containers and washing the glasses, placing the clean pair on the counter to air dry. Not interested in either finishing the movie or starting another one, the brunet decided to find another activity with which to entertain himself for the remainder of the evening.

After locking the apartment door, he moved about the apartment, pulling all the window shades down and securing them, narrowing his eyes in concentration as he checked each portal for any trace of an infiltration jutsu. Finding none, Sai headed into Naruto's bedroom and for the closet, carefully searching the boxes stored there until he found what he wanted, then putting the disturbed contents back before shutting the closet door. Laying the item over the doll house, Sai chased Ami away from Sasuke's new home and lifted it carefully, carrying it through the apartment and placing it gently on Naruto's kitchen table.

Retrieving his backpack from where he'd left it, Sai set it on the table and began unpacking the bag, placing the various items on the table within easy reach of where he planned to work. Taking a seat, the artist decided to address the more practical issue before him and picked up the item, checking it carefully for holes or tears. When he found none, Sai picked up his pair of scissors and began cutting.

Sasuke-kun was an undeniable part of Naruto's life and though the artist respected this fact, it still bothered him. An unknown emotion continued to intrude on Sai's thoughts, disrupting his usual calm until the artist finally examined it critically and put a name to the feeling disturbing him.

Dislike.

Sai disliked Sasuke.

Sai disliked Sasuke a lot.

* * *

A/N:

At last an update! This chapter just didn't want to start and then it just wouldn't end so if it seems like it meanders, please excuse it. There were topics I wanted to address in this chapter before the story went any further and would seem odd and/or disruptive if I tried to do it later.

For those of you who are Sai fans, some feedback would be appreciated if you have the time- I don't know why, but out of all the regular Naruto character, I find him hard to read (no pun intended). This makes it hard to imagine his reactions in situations so if I'm doing something right, I would truly like to know.


	7. HighWire Act

**Chapter Seven: High-Wire Act**

As before, *** denotes that time has passed and the previous point of view continued

* * *

"_Come in, Sasuke-kun." The invitation to enter the room he stood in the doorway of was vaguely polite but the blatant malevolence in Orochimaru's voice made the people in the hallway behind Sasuke to immediately scatter and scuttle away. The Uchiha did not turn around and watch them flee but he could hear their progress and it reminded the brunet of cockroaches running for cover once the light is turned on. _

_He sneered, letting his upper lip curl haughtily, and stepped inside the snake Sannin's bedroom, shutting the door silently behind him. Orochimaru was across the room, sitting casually on the large, well made bed as Kabuto stood beside him, a small black bag next to the pale-haired man's feet._

_Though his expression remained customarily arrogant, Sasuke inwardly sighed, knowing where this was going and wanting nothing to do with it._

_Orochimaru held out a pale hand and motioned the teenager forward before making hand signs for the jutsu that would seal the room and their activities from anyone stupid enough to eaves drop. It was an unlikely and, frankly, suicidal idea but there was always one idiot ninja that tried to gather intel on these little meetings. They were always caught and, though he didn't know exactly what happened to them, Sasuke did know that the perpetrators had a tendency to disappear. _

_Food for the copious snakes Orochimaru kept as pets and sentries, no doubt._

I knew I should have fed them earlier. _Sasuke thought sourly, making a mental note to do so after Orochimaru was done with him._

"_Sssasssuke…" The sibilant hiss was both an unwanted caress and prompt, and shoving his irritation aside, Sasuke obediently walked forward toward the bed until he stood before the Sannin. _

_Orochimaru rose elegantly and smiled as he embraced the Uchiha, wrapping those long arms around Sasuke's upper body in a familiar manner as he rested his cheek against Sasuke's spiky hair and sighed in satisfaction. All at once the creepy, borderline pedophilic persona the Sannin displayed in public disappeared to reveal an even scarier version of Orochimaru known only to Sasuke and Kabuto. _

"_Sasuke!"Orochimaru said brightly, his grip tightening as he suddenly lifted the Uchiha in a fierce hug, jostling the irritated teenager as he preformed what Sasuke had privately dubbed 'the happy dance.' The older brunet's speech patterns took on an almost sing-song quality as he continued. "Guess what I got?"_

_Sasuke felt his eyebrow begin twitching, a movement that only became exaggerated as, out the corner of his eye, he spotted Kabuto beaming at the pair happily. As huggable as a board, Sasuke remained stiff in both manner and speech. "A new justu."_

"_A new jutsu! That's right! You're so smart, Sasuke-kun!" Orochimaru praised, setting the teenager on the floor and ruffling Sasuke's hair, the older male smiled down at him proudly._

_Sasuke resisted the urge to pull his sword and balled his fists tightly until the arm guards he wore threatened to slice through his palms, knowing that nothing would be solved by using a blade, He had to be patient- once the idiot Sannin had shown off this new addition to his jutsu collection, he would allow the Uchiha to leave and continue his pre-training responsibilities. As the script required, the teenager recited the words he knew his teacher was waiting for him to say. "What's it do?"_

_Orochimaru smiled at him like a proud parent, either not hearing or simply ignoring the bored tone of his pupil's voice. "I was hoping you would ask that!" _

I bet. _The thought was petulant and Sasuke attempted to quell his impatience. The Sannin, for all the power games he played and all the knowledge he had gained through his artificially prolonged life, was like an overgrown kid when it came to jutsu. Orochimaru collected them like a magpie collected shiny objects, using his obsession to his benefit in both business and pleasure as he sought to learn as many jutsu as possible, the need seeming to stem as much from his overinflated ego as from an overwhelming sense of natural curiosity. Whether it leveled cities, killed enemies, summoned horrific beasts or simply made stuffed animals move, a new jutsu was always worth something to Orochimaru especially if it was one he had never heard of before. Initially the Uchiha had been appalled with this surprising side of his teacher, but Sasuke had figured out how to benefit from this odd chink in the man's armor and had used it to both bribe and distract the Sannin when training. _

_Like a child showing off a brand new toy, Orochimaru produced a scroll from the sleeve of his robe with a flourish and pulled the white thread holding the roll of paper closed. Grinning excitedly, the snake Sannin eagerly unfurled the scroll across the bed and Sasuke stepped closer to study the signs written in delicate black ink against the age stained paper. _

_The Uchiha frowned, not recognizing any of them, and activated his Sharingan to memorize the list. Under the Sannin's tutelage, Sasuke had thought he had learned all the variations of writing the twelve fundamental hand signs that made up every jutsu created and it both surprised and irritated him that apparently this was not the case. Orochimaru had drilled them into him in every language imaginable and still, none of the symbols on the paper matched any of the ones he knew. _

"_This is going to be fun!" Orochimaru said happily, the Sannin clapping and rubbing his hands together as his gold eyes scanned over the jutsu. "Let's give it a whirl!"_

Damn snake. _Sasuke thought. Evidently, Orochimaru could read the writing just fine and Sasuke glanced at his teacher, annoyed that the older male had been holding out on him. _

_The Sannin began forming hand signs, excitement getting the better of reason again and Sasuke's sense of dignity and pride kicked-in as memories surfaced. The last time this had happened, the trio had all walked around with pink hair for a month and the Uchiha refused to repeat that experience. _

"_What does it do?" Sasuke asked, turning toward the Sannin who was still forming hand signs. A sense of impending doom began to fill the Uchiha as he watched Orochimaru's fingers continue to move, realizing that the other was almost done. "What does this one do?"_

"_Don't worry, Sasuke-kun," Kabuto said reassuringly, smiling as he entered the conversation for the first time. "It's a harmless prank jutsu."_

_The alarm filling Sasuke did not abate, only increased as he felt Orochimaru's chakra pervade the room, shaping around them as the jutsu's preparation came to an end. Reaching out alone to stop the Sanin wouldn't stop him but if Sasuke could convince Kabuto to help, they could probably stop Orochimaru. _

_Probably- one could never tell with Kabuto. Sasuke's eyes narrowed at the pale haired physician. "The last time he used a 'prank' jutsu, it summoned a skunk the size of a bull." _

_Kabuto adjusted his glasses with his middle finger, the gesture not lost on Sasuke and making his eyebrow twitch again. "The smell eventually went away, Sasuke-kun, and you were given new clothes."_

"_What about the dragon that nearly burned down the lair?"The Uchiha scowled. _

_Kabuto shrugged dismissively. "We did catch the beast and it was only a baby, after all. No one was permanently harmed."_

_Orochimaru ignored them, focused solely on following the symbols on the paper._

Run! _Sasuke's senses screamed, suddenly clamoring for him to get out of the room. He had actually taken two steps backward before realizing it and when he did he stubbornly held his ground, standing tall as the air pressure of the room built to its zenith, his ears popping. _Uchihas do not run from danger.

_Naruto had always said that Uchiha pride would be the death of Sasuke._

_Orochimaru completed the last hand sign with an excited cry that sounded suspiciously like a little girl's giggle and then there was nothing to do but wait for the outcome as the jutsu took hold._

_***_

Grimacing, covered in sweat, Sasuke woke with a start, jerking uncertainly as he fought with a severe sense of disorientation. Attempting to breathe beyond his pounding heart only resulted in terrible blinding agony, making his empty stomach roil threateningly as stars explode behind his eyes. Fighting down nausea and panic, he laid back down on his side, curling up slightly as he took short, halting breaths and tried to get his body back under his normally disciplined control.

_Pathetic. This is just... _ He resisted the urge to moan in pain and stuffed the not-made-sound deep into the darkest place within him Sasuke could find, vowing that it would never see the light of day. Uchihas did not moan just because they were hurting and Sasuke was Uchiha to the core. He would live through this injury just as he had lived through every other injury in the past and just as he would live through any injury in the future.

As he concentrated on just moving air in and out of his lungs, he realized that it was not open air against his exposed cheek but fabric that smelled heavily of Naruto. Listening carefully, Sasuke detected the loud regular rhythm of the blonde's heart and smiled as he wondered how he could have missed the sound right beneath him.

_The dobe is making this a habit,_ the Uchiha groused sourly but his heart wasn't in it. Indulging himself, Sasuke nosed the fabric underneath him, inhaling the comforting and reassuring scent deep inside his body before forcing himself to get going.

Moving slowly due to his ribs, he crawled out from under the covers and sat on Naruto's shoulder, the Uchiha's face set in determination as he looked around the darkened room, realizing they were in the living room. It wasn't true night; there was a gray quality to the darkness that told the brunet it was definitely before dawn though not for much longer. Naruto, most likely, wouldn't be up until his stomach woke him which meant that, for the time being, Sasuke was the only one awake in the apartment.

Excellent- he wouldn't have an audience.

Feeling top heavy due to his ribs and the bandaging Sai had wound around him, the tiny ninja stood carefully, one hand against the raised tracks of Naruto's scarred cheek for balance. Bending at the knees, Sasuke took hold of the blanket his departure had skewed and pulled it higher before getting down on hands and knees to tuck it securely around the blonde's shoulders, needlessly smoothing it beneath Naruto's chin.

_Sleep well, dobe. _Feeling very warm, happy and daring, Sasuke placed a feather light kiss against Naruto's skin then quickly moved away - because Uchihas did not scramble, which was what someone else may have mistaken his rapid withdrawal for- when the blonde's head unexpectedly turned, shifting in the direction where the Uchiha had been standing seconds ago. Heart in his throat, Sasuke decided that now would be a good time to leave and used the blanket to reach the floor.

His intention had been to go through his normal warm up routine of practicing katas but the moment his feet touched the floor, Sasuke's body made two very pressing issues known: one was that he was very hungry and the second, was that he needed to use the bathroom _immediately_. Biting his lip and concentrating hard not to embarrass himself, the Uchiha all but ran for Naruto's bathroom, only remembering belatedly that the facilities were not designed to accommodate the needs of someone less than a foot tall.

He did not make a helpless noise as he surveyed the rest room nor did he practically hop from foot to foot while doing so. A glance at the toilet and the bathtub made it clear that neither were going to be practical since he would first have to find a way to climb the smooth porcelain to reach either and that was before addressing the issue of balance. Sasuke quickly ganced up at the sink far above him then began looking for anything that he could climb to reach it, making small frustrated sounds when he only found one of the stupid broad leafed plants Naruto liked to surround himself wi-

Stuffing down his humiliation, the Uchiha ran and leapt, hoisting himself over the edge of the pot and onto the soft soil, his hands already digging a hole before he allowed himself to think about exactly what he was doing. He barely managed to get his pants out of the way before his control reached its limit and, as his body emptied itself of waste products, Sasuke's cheeks burned with shame even as he tried to console himself that this would technically be considered normal if he was on a mission in the middle of the woods.

Unfortunately, it was painfully obvious that Naruto's apartment was a far cry from any forest Sasuke had ever been in, and the Uchiha wondered if his flaming cheeks could possibly get even redder as he prayed desperately that no one walked in.

It was then that he noticed what he was dressed in. His pajamas had an unmistakably feminine theme in appearance and his eyebrow began doing a veritable jig as he took in the dancing, tutu wearing bears performing various acrobatic feats as they cavorted across the pink cloth.

Suddenly, Sasuke didn't feel nearly as bad about using Naruto's plant as a latrine.

***

A large furry leg appeared over the edge of the planter and Sasuke held absolutely still as Ami joined him underneath the broad leafy canopy. It wasn't fear of the spider that held him frozen, though it probably should have been, but more due to the knowledge that one did not run from a predator unless they well and truly wanted to become dinner. Ami, so far, had not shown any interest in attacking him but until now, Sasuke had always been overshadowed by Naruto's protective presence. This would be the first time the Uchiha and the spider interacted without Naruto hovering nearby and the Uchiha refused to acknowledge the nervousness trickling through him.

Startling the spider would not set a good tone for anything constructive so he remained still even as she came closer, one long leg delicately extending toward his chest until it touched him. The spiky hairs tickled and though, the touch was gentle, it still aggravated his ribs and Sasuke had to sink his teeth into his lips to keep silent, trying to be patient with the spider. Ami seemed to understand that she had harmed him and moved her leg from his chest to his shoulders, first one then the other, before pulling back completely and lightly nudging Sasuke's feet. The Uchiha had the distinct impression that she was attempting to defile in position and he remembered belatedly that, with rare exception, spiders had poor eyesight. As Ami withdrew her leg completely and brought it up to her underbelly, Sasuke wondered if she used a chemical means to track her prey and hoped she wasn't attempting to acquire his scent.

He also wished the large predator hadn't caught him quite literally with his pants down which, much to his annoyance, brought up the issue of toilet paper or a sink for Sasuke to wash himself and his dirt stained pants in.

Moving slowly, Ami turned and headed along the rim of the pot to his left and Sasuke turned his head, following her. When he was sure there was sufficient space between them, the brunet stuffed down his sense of disgust and pulled his pants into place, then began covering up the evidence of his activities, spreading the dirt around until it was evenly leveled.

Feeling incredibly soiled, no pun intended, he looked around for inspiration as to how best to handle the hygiene issue and noticed Ami crawling up the wall next to the sink, her injury not hindering her assent in the slightest.

Thinking furiously, Sasuke followed after her, vaguely wondering if he could hop a ride on her back but quickly dismissing the idea once he remembered her _very_ long fangs. No, maybe not a ride but perhaps he could use the same method she was using to get up the tiled wall. Despite their differences in size, both Sasuke and Ami had to weigh roughly the same amount and anything that held her bulk should therefore also hold the Uchiha's. Touching the wall where Ami had begun her assent, the brunet's hands came away training sticky fibers and Sasuke realized that there was a film of silk coating the tile.

He gave the network of threads a strong tug while looking upward to see what Ami would do and found that, though the spider had stopped, she was not reacting in a way that suggested she was bothered by his curiosity. In fact, she began slowly moving back and forth, bobbing her lower body and the fingerlike appendages on her rear against the wall, and Sasuke realized that she was laying down an additional layer of silk as she continued upward.

Resolve firm, the Uchiha took firm hold of the webbing and began to climb.

***

A half hour later, Sasuke was clean and back in the living room, smoothly flowing from one kata to another, finding the feel of his muscles working oddly soothing. The darkness of the room had lightened considerably as the day finally began to break and the Uchiha stuck to the shadows under the window sill as he practiced. Several inches away, Ami moved, too, in ways that mimicked what he was doing but Sasuke was too angry with himself to find amusement in her antics.

_So weak!_ He thought, forcing himself to move faster even as his injured body protested. He was disgustingly out of shape given how little time had passed since the jutsu had been initiated and this was beyond unacceptable for the Uchiha. Sasuke was not a person who had been raised to find satisfaction in getting a free ride and the very idea rankled something deep inside him, making him angry and malcontent with the entire situation. He had to get back into fighting form as fast as possible so he could be of some meager use to Naruto!

Furious, Sasuke put a little too much force behind a high kick and became unbalanced, then over compensated as he rotated his weight in the opposite direction trying to remain upright. The movements made the muscles of his chest seize up, igniting twin rows of fire against his back as his previous injuries were aggravated beyond tolerance, and suddenly Sasuke was on the floor, holding his sides as he fought to breathe past the pain.

_Damn, now I need another shower. _The brunet thought, grimacing as he tried to sit up, his body protesting loudly until he lay back down. Ami came over and settled on the floor beside him, keeping him company as he recovered, and Sasuke wasn't sure what to make of the gesture as he lay exhausted against the floorboards. He smiled sardonically and closed his eyes, ignoring the way the rough wood beneath him dug into his naked, sweaty skin. The Uchiha had discarded his bandages for his shower and, since the dobe hadn't put an extra set of clothing for Sasuke in the bathroom, the diminutive brunet had been nude as he trained. _At least I'm dressed for it._

Vibration against his back alerted Sasuke of movement even before he heard the couch's springs squeak, indicating that the sleeper there was awake and stirring. Opening his eyes and turning his head, the Uchiha watched as Naruto sat up and ran tan fingers through sleep tousled blond hair before standing, the jinchuuriki's blue eyes scanning the ground until they landed on Sasuke laying on the floor.

"Sasuke?" Naruto's voice was rough from sleep, almost pleasantly husky, and the Uchiha suppressed the sudden desire to shiver in reaction as the blonde immediately headed in his direction. Reaching the brunet, Naruto didn't so much as kneel as fall slowly to the floor next to his friend, one hand held out and hovering uncertainly above the small body.

"I'm alright, dobe." Sasuke said, inwardly elated over the other's fussing. He reached out and grabbed hold of Naruto's nearest finger and used it as support as he crawled onto the offered palm.

The blond immediately cradled his hand protectively around Sasuke before climbing laboriously to his feet. The fingers flexed briefly, brushing against the Uchiha's body not once, but twice before Naruto rocked to a halt and spoke again. "How come you aren't wearing anything?"

Several responses to that question ran through Sasuke's head but none of them were repeatable, especially to the homophobic blond. Deciding that anything other than the truth would be permissible and that simplicity would be best, the Uchiha selected an appropriate answer from his mental inventory and scowled up at his friend darkly. "You're like a furnace, dobe! I nearly died from heat exhaustion and had to strip down to cool off!"

Naruto grunted and curled his hands around Sasuke more securely before changing direction from the couch toward the hall. Reaching the bathroom, the blond hit the light switch and the Uchiha barely had enough time to cover his eyes as bright light flooded the small room, bathing the pair in it and stabbing harshly through Sasuke's eyes until the orbs adjusted.

"You stink, teme." The comment made the tiny brunet flush indignantly as they reached the sink and Naruto began fiddling with the water knobs. When the blond was satisfied, he allowed Sasuke to approve the temperature before ushering the Uchiha out of his hand and under the spray of water. Handing him a freshly cut sliver of soap, Naruto grabbed the bottle of shampoo from the tub and set it on the lid of the toilet before leaving the room.

_I do not stink, damn it!_ Sasuke groused, scrubbing his skin with soap as vigorously as his sore body allowed. Still though, he was meticulous as he bathed, , being sure to wash every inch of skin as well as cleaning under his nails and the nail beds. He had just finished washing his intimate areas, both front and back, when Naruto returned with the kitchen chair, a hand towel, and a tiny new pair of clothes in hand.

"We gotta be quiet," The blond rumbled lowly, setting the chair in front of the sink and sitting heavily down on it. He leaned to his right to retrieve the shampoo bottle and dribbled a small amount of the slippery goo into waiting pale hands. "Sai's asleep and I wanna leave him that way."

"He's still here?" The Uchiha had momentarily forgotten that dobe number 2 had been present last night. Sasuke had assumed that the other brunet had simply gone home while Sasuke was asleep but apparently this was not the case and frowning, the diminutive ninja worked his shampoo covered fingers through his hair thoroughly, not sure how he should feel about Sai's invasion of Sasuke's rightful territory.

Propping his chin on the lip of the sink, Naruto nodded shallowly. "He's in my bed but I don't think he's been there long. Looks like he's been working on your house."

Many things came to mind at that statement, none of them pleasant, and Sasuke hid his thoughts from the blonde by stepping directly into the deluge of water pouring from the faucet, allowing himself to momentarily wallow in the sensuous feeling of shampoo suds sliding over his abused skin.

"Do you want some conditioner?" Naruto asked, his voice oddly muffled. Raising an eyebrow, the Uchiha leaned out of the water to look at his companion and nearly fell as he peered up at what looked like a blonde hedgehog that had suddenly taken residence where the jinchuuriki had just been.

"…No." Sasuke said and stepped back under the faucet to rinse off. After making sure he had washed all the soap from his hair and body, the brunet stepped from the water and stretched upward to push the knobs in the 'off' direction. Waiting until the last of the water slipped down the drain, the Uchiha shook his hands and feet to rid them of moisture then leapt at the side of the sink, scrambling ungracefully to gain purchase until he managed to hook a leg over the rim of the basin.

"Dobe?" Sasuke called once he had pulled himself up and gotten situated. He ignored how out of breath he sounded, how cold the porcelain was beneath his bottom, and how tired he suddenly was. The Uchiha reached out and grabbed a handful of the blonde spikes in front of him, pulling the hank lightly until he felt Naruto begin to sit up.

"You finished, teme?" The large red pressure mark across the jinchuuriki's forehead made Naruto look like a Cyclops and Sasuke found it remarkably difficult for several seconds to focus on any other feature. At the brunet's nod, the blond held out the towel and Sasuke immediately began to dry himself off as fast as possible before indicating that he wanted his clothes.

"Let's go back to bed, dobe." Hastily pulling on his new yellow and orange striped pajamas, Sasuke pulled his hair free from where it was trapped under his collar and looked up at his friend in concern. Despite how soundly he had been asleep, Naruto looked as if he hadn't slept well at all and the Uchiha didn't know if it was due to using the couch as a mattress or if there was some other ailment Sasuke was unaware of bothering the blond.

Rubbing his eyes, Naruto shook his head in the negative as he picked Sasuke up gently before gathering the chair and turning off the bathroom's harsh lighting. Seeming to find his way more by habit than sight, the blond padded past the couch straight for the kitchen table and set the diminutive ninja down carefully next to the dollhouse, which someone had relocated from the bedroom. Naruto briefly stepped to the wall to flick on the overhead light before coming back to the table and setting the chair down near Sasuke's position before sitting down.

Sai had been a very busy pain in the ass, the Uchiha decided. Sasuke's temporary residence was still predominantly white but now there were spots of color to relieve the nearly oppressive blankness and, grudgingly, the Uchiha privately admitted that the artist had done a good job as he looked over the house's new dark blue shutters, matching blue trim and the roof which had been painted in various shades of brown to accurately simulate the natural shading caused by the sun. Sai had also added plant life to the house's exterior in the form of various types of flowers and generic hedges that didn't seem terribly spectacular until Sasuke looked at it through the corner of his eyes and some trick of the lighting or drawing style made it all appear to be swaying gently in a phantom breeze.

"When he wakes, you have to thank him." Naruto said, his voice dragging. Sasuke looked at him and nearly blanched, unsure how the dobe could have aged so much in the few seconds the Uchiha had been distracted. Naruto looked old, as if he had gained fifteen years in under a minute, alarming the brunet enough that he responded with a very shaky, 'hn.'

"No!" The meaty thump of Naruto's fist abruptly hitting the table made Sasuke jump and take a step back instinctively. "You have to thank him, Sasuke! He's done us both a big favor…and you…!"

The blonde covered his face with hands, his shoulders shaking, and the Uchiha realized with horror that Naruto was crying silently. Sasuke's heart twisted painfully and all reason suddenly disappeared as the urge- _the need_- to do something filled him. In that moment he would have promised or done anything, anything at all, so long as Naruto stopped crying!

"I'll thank him!" He babbled, looking for a way to bridge the gap between himself and Naruto that didn't involve running and jumping, shamed that his injuries were bothering him so much. "I'll even compliment him! I'll hug him, too, just tell me what's wrong! Just, just…" Another train of thought was born as his words stalled, escaping into the air before the Uchiha could properly evaluate it. "Did he threaten you? Did Sai do something to you, Naruto?"

Sai. Was. _**DEAD!**_ Sasuke didn't care what or how long it took to accomplish it but by the time the Uchiha finished, the artist would be nothing but an empty shell for hurting Naruto!

"What? No, no he hasn't…" Naruto sniffled and rubbed his eyes, making Sasuke relax slightly as the blond began to calm down, though the Uchiha could see in the blonde's face that whatever was troubling the jinchuuriki still weighed heavily on his mind. "Sai hasn't done anything… Teme, we need to talk. A lot has been happening while you've been, er, gone and most of it affects you."

Taking a final swipe at his eyes, Naruto stood to fetch Sasuke's kitchen table and matching chair, before returning and setting both in front of the Uchiha. "Have a seat, Sasuke. I think you're gonna need it."

The blond was so solemn and sad that the brunet's body felt wire tight, practically vibrating with tension as he ignored the offered seat and pointedly glared at his friend until Naruto began to speak.

* * *

"Teme?" Naruto tried hesitantly, unsure how to treat the Uchiha who seemed to be in a state of complete and total shock. Sasuke was still upright, if a bit wobbly as he grasped the back of his kitchen chair with a white knuckled hand, and the blond was fairly certain that this was a positive sign even as the brunet stared at nothing, the Uchiha's expression shifting so quickly through a multitude of emotions that Naruto had no idea what his friend was feeling.

The silence between them was heavy, making the blond fidget as he continued to watch Sasuke stare into space and despite the Uchiha's almost calm exterior, Naruto could hear how fast the other's heart was racing.

"Say something, teme!" Naruto demanded, scrubbing his hands through his hair in agitation. Sasuke had never been a big talker but a familiar internal warning flag inside the blond had gone up, reminding Naruto that the quieter the brunet was, the more pain Sasuke was trying to contain. The Uchiha repressed- it was a survival tactic that had enabled him to overcome the despair caused by the massacre of his family. "Sas-"

Sasuke was holding up his free hand in a stop gesture and in the quiet Naruto obediently provided, the groan of wood buckling under pressure could be clearly heard. Concerned, the blond looked at the tiny chair in the Uchiha's grip and realized that he was going to have to get Sasuke a new one if the other didn't let go soon. A chair was a small price to pay, though, and Naruto would happily buy a million of them so long as his friend shared what he was feeling.

The Uchiha swallowed thickly and the blond could practically hear the brunet's emotional walls slamming down as Sasuke's face assumed a slightly arrogant expression and he let go of the kitchen chair, his hand falling to hang loosely at his side.

"No." Naruto growled. He would not let Sasuke isolate himself and endure this pain alone, wouldn't allow it to fester and destroy the Uchiha from the inside out. Even if the teme hated him afterward, Naruto was going to make sure that Sasuke knew beyond a shadow of a doubt that there was someone who cared for him, someone the Uchiha could count as an ally. "_**No!"**_

Sasuke's remote exterior faltered as the blond abruptly reached out and wrapped his hands around the other, lifting him to the blonde's eye level. They stared at each other, the Uchiha's arrogant expression resettling easily while Naruto, in contrast, felt his face flame.

"Talk to me." He demanded, carefully shaking the tiny ninja.

Sasuke glared, tilting his head back slightly and looking at Naruto haughtily.

"Tell me how you feel." Naruto demanded, hating the edge of desperation creeping into his voice as, again, the Uchiha remained silent. Sasuke folded his arms, clearly waiting for the blond to grow frustrated enough to put him down.

_Fine. Plan B, then._ Naruto thought in disgust, pissed that he had to resort to dirty tactics just to get Sasuke to open his fucking mouth. Shifting the Uchiha to one hand, the blonde opened the doll house and retrieved the unslept in bed he had made up for Sasuke. Setting it down on the kitchen table, he arranged the furnishing carefully before curling his fingers around Sasuke and roughly pushing the tiny ninja down onto the mattress.

He was rewarded with a brief look of surprise from Sasuke.

"Talk to me, teme, or else." Naruto said, letting his anger bleed into his voice as he continued to pin the small brunet to the bed.

An expression darted across Sasuke's face, something that was there and replaced by the Uchiha's customary arrogance too fast for the blonde to decipher beyond the fact that it looked completely out of place. "Or you'll do what, dobe?"

Naruto frowned at the husky note in his former teammate's voice that seemed entirely in appropriate given the potential violence of the situation. Maybe he was holding the Uchiha too tightly and this was how Sasuke was disguising the pain? The blonde took his hand away and curled it into a tight fist as he rested his elbow on the table.

"I'm going to make you talk one way or the other, teme." Naruto said quietly, glad that he sounded confident even if he didn't actually feel so. "You can do it voluntarily, now, or I can punish you and you'll talk, later."

Sasuke's upper lip curled as he sneered and the Uchiha rolled on his side to get off the bed only to be stopped by Naruto's hand pinning him again.

"It was your choice, Sasuke." Naruto said, his voice firm and authoritative. Nervous, the blond took a breath to calm himself and then began to tickle his friend mercilessly.

***

"You said you'd talk, teme." Naruto reminded quietly as he eyed the Uchiha lazily and, nodding, Sasuke closed his eyes briefly before opening them again to look at the ceiling.

With his head propped on his arms, the pair was nearly eye to eye on the table as they both calmed down, Sasuke seeming to need as much time as he could get after laughing so much. Grunting, gasping, and hissing threats the entire time, the Uchiha had withstood ten minutes of solid 'torture' before surrendering to the blonde's demands. Flushed and sweaty, brushing haphazardly at his eyes with one hand while pulling his clothes into place with the other, the brunet looked like an entirely different person as he sprawled across the bed, concentrating on taking short, panting breathes.

"I don't know," the brunet said at length, having to pause and wait as one last wild giggle possessed him. "I don't know how I feel about it, about any of it."

Naruto wanted to scream but instead he lifted his head and dropped it on the table with a loud 'thunk' sound, making the small bed jump. "Then why didn't you just say that?! God, Sasuke, why do you have to be such a fucking hard ass?!"

Visibly calming, the Uchiha resettled and licked his lips before pointedly resuming his contemplation of the ceiling. For several minutes, he said nothing and, exasperated, the blond closed his eyes, grinding his forehead against the table as a headache formed right behind his eyes. Even though he had just woken up, Naruto already felt wrung out and exhausted, all his energy sapped from dealing with the stupid, stubborn teme. A light brush against his cheek prompted him to open one eye and look tiredly at Sasuke, who looked back at him steadily.

The small pale hand against Naruto's cheek moved idly, as if the Uchiha needed something to distract himself with as he spoke. "Until I knew what I was going to say, until I could figure out what I felt, I couldn't open my mouth."

The blond jerked away, wanting to put distance between them before he did something he'd regret - like inadvertently kill Sasuke as he slapped or shook the Uchiha in a display of frustrated rage. Mouth a tight line, Naruto sat up and pushed away from the table, disgusted with himself as the urge to cry made his eyes burn, his throat tight. _Stupid teme! Stupid, fucking… me… _

"I didn't want to make you a target!"

Naruto froze halfway to his feet, unsure if he had heard correctly. "Huh?"

"I didn't want…to make you a target…" Sasuke said again, and it was the uncertainty in his voice that made the blond look at him. The Uchiha's face was flushed and he sat hesitatingly half on and half off the bed, as if he'd been attempting to following after the retreating jinchuuriki.

Naruto frowned, trying to follow his friend's logic. Sasuke hadn't known how he felt, so he hadn't wanted to speak, and all because he hadn't wanted to make the jinchuuriki a target? A target for what? For the Uchiha's anger…? The blonde's thought ground to a hault, his eyes widening as he finally understood what Sasuke was clumsily attempting to say.

"You thought you'd take your anger out on me." The jinchuuriki said slowly, watching Sasuke's face for confirmation as he spoke to be sure Naruto understood the situation correctly. "Saying nothing was better than screaming at me because you were hurt."

It wouldn't have been the first time that the Uchiha had used Naruto as a punching bag, either literally or figuratively, and those fights had always left the blonde raw and bleeding emotionally long after Kyuubi had healed the physical damage. Apparently, Naruto hadn't been the only one to regret those past shouting matches and maybe during his time away, Sasuke had had time to think and learn from his past mistakes. Face flushing brightly, the Uchiha looked awkward and completely out of his element but nonetheless sincere and Naruto realized that this was exactly the case.

Sasuke had never had been a people person to begin with and Naruto could only imagine how much it had cost the Uchiha to shove aside his deeply ingrained pride and make himself as vulnerable as the brunet was doing now.

"Teme…" Naruto knew he should say something to acknowledge the significance of Sasuke's emotional growth but nothing appropriate would come to mind. The brunet's first reaction had not been to scream or accuse nor bottle everything, as Naruto had feared, but to instead protect the blond and preserve their relationship, something very difficult compared to lashing out at a convenient target. The blonde's heart seemed to swelled in his breast and still he could not think of any words to accurately express how proud and grateful Naruto was to the teme at that moment.

"I'll fix it." The blonde said quietly, swallowing thickly as he sat back down. Setting his hand next to the tiny ninja, he delicately reached out with his forefinger to brush the mussed mess Sasuke's hair had become. It was doubtful that the Uchiha had fully processed the ramifications of Konoha's actions toward his clan, but he would eventually and when he did, Naruto would be there to support the other as much as Sasuke needed. "When I become Hokage, I'll make sure that the Uchiha clan is rightfully remembered for their role in Konoha's creation."

"I know." The Uchiha's open expression vanished, replaced with a fierce scowl as he glared up at the jinchuuriki and leaned away from the blonde's finger. "Tickle me again, dobe, and I will break your fingers."

Naruto just grinned cheekily, crossing his arms over his chest as he sat back and gloated. "You're just pissed because I wouldn't let you go brood in a corner somewhere."

The scowl was instantly replaced by outrage. "I was not- I do not brood!"

"Of course you were!" The blond said, fighting not to smile. "You brood, Sasuke. It's part of your sex appeal."

Sasuke's expression went from angrily indignant to startled puzzlement in two seconds flat. "My what?"

"Your sex appeal." Naruto said again slowly, rolling his eyes. "You brood and angst and it gets all the girls in a tizzy because they want to rush in and comfort you. They want to be the one to heal your broken heart and accept their love and remember that the world is so much better so long as you have someone to share it with."

The blonde licked his lips before folding his arms, suddenly very unhappy and bitter about the subject matter even though he had been the one to bring it up. Frowning, he looked down at Sasuke and found that the brunet looked oddly troubled.

"But don't worry, teme." Naruto shoved his strange feelings aside and rushed to reassure his friend. "It works for you! You'll have the Uchiha clan revived and no time- just pout a lot."

This did not seem to make Sasuke feel better- in fact, the Uchiha looked even more ill at ease. Mentally backtracking, Naruto was saved from attempting further ego soothing techniques as Sai walked past them into the kitchen.

"Morning Sai," The blond greeted, grateful for the distraction and twisting in his chair to watch the newly awakened brunet putter about the kitchen. Disheveled, the artist was thankfully wearing sleeping pants as he flipped a switch on an appliance Naruto was certain hadn't been there last night. "I didn't know I had a coffee maker."

"You do not." Sai said, voice gruff from sleep as he set a mug on the counter near the burbling machine. "I brought it with me from my studio."

Running a hand through his sleep tousled hair, he came back to the kitchen table and Naruto frowned, noticing for the first time just how low riding Sai's pajama's were. A blond eyebrow began twitching as Naruto realized that the artist wasn't wearing anything under them, either. "If you flash me, Sai, I'll knock you into next week."

In lieu of an answer, Sai moved behind the jinchuuriki and draped himself over Naruto's broad shoulders, wrapping his arms around the blonde's upper body loosely.

_Special jinchuuriki technique: Heating lamp no jutsu._ Naruto thought, rolling his eyes as he suppressed a sigh and ruffled the other's short hair, letting Sai's pale skin soak up the extra warmth Naruto seemed to continually produce due to the Kyuubi housed within his body. In some ways, Sai reminded the blonde of a lizard and that comparison had only been reinforced once they got to know each other. The artist was nearly as fast and as elusive as a reptile during battle, knew how to successfully camouflage himself in minimal coverage, and could be as creepy as the solitary beast. But like a lizard, when not in a combat situation, Sai's movements were distinctly slow until he warmed up; if awakened too early, or if the morning was too cold, Sai had a tendency to invade Naruto's personal space until the artist's body warmed up enough to function without support. On the nights the artist slept over, it was common for him to slip into Naruto's bed unannounced to wrap himself around the blond when the heater shut off and the temperature of the apartment dropped. With all the rain lately, Konoha had been cool and this had been happening a lot, so much so that Naruto had begun inviting Sai into his bed for the night, the blond no longer bothered by the artist's familiarity.

Sasuke, though, if his expression was any clue, seemed to be annoyed on Naruto's behalf and the blond was silently pleased, finding the Uchiha's reaction endearing and touching, taking it as a sure sign that their friendship was healing well.

_Brotherhood is wonderful, _Naruto thought, the notion warming him all the way down to his toes. Hearing the coffee machine click as it finished, he grinned and untangled himself from Sai, leaving the chair and pushing the artist into the vacated seat.

"Play nice you two." Naruto warned, heading into the kitchen and pouring Sai's coffee. Pursing his lips, the blonde considered the dark liquid in the carafe and opened the mug cabinet.

"Do not try it, Naruto." Sai warned, and Naruto guiltily snatched his hand back, frowning at the back of the artist's head.

"He can have coffee if he wants to." Sasuke's voice was diminished by distance but the blonde's ears picked up the clear challenge easily and it made Naruto smile.

"He becomes very… excitable for a while when he has it." Sai said mildly, either ignoring or not hearing the Uchiha's tone.

Naruto scowled at that and eyed the carafe again mutinously.

"He's always excitable." Sasuke rebutted. "It's what makes Naruto, Naruto."

The blonde instantly felt better but it was becoming annoying listening to the two bicker like he wasn't _**right there**_, not ten feet away.

"Have a cup, dobe."

"Do you want to be like our last client?"

Naruto's hand froze halfway to the coffee pot, suddenly wanting nothing to do with the liquid it contained. Heading to the fridge, Naruto poured himself a glass of milk and, grabbing the artist's mug, returned to the table. He glared at him sourly. "Thanks a lot, Sai."

"Last client?" Sasuke asked, and the blond blinked at the weird edge in the teme's tone.

The blonde shuddered and grimaced in memory. "The mission we just finished. Spoiled brat. Real grabby bastard."

"Only to Naruto." Sai said, taking a sip carefully. "The prince of Fang Country has a strong attraction for blondes."

"He touched you?" Sasuke asked, clearly outraged until Naruto shook his head.

"Tried to." Naruto finished his glass and set it on the table, suddenly wanting a shower. "I made it clear that I don't swing that way and if he pushed it, I'd make him regret it, diplomatic mission or not. We were there to stay out of sight and shadow him during the finalization of a peace agreement between Fang and Claw Country. It took forever but ultimately everything worked out and now they're all busy planning a wedding." The blonde shook his head again. "I pity Claw Country's princess, though. Prince Whatshisname is a going to be like Ero-Sennin as an old man."

"Prince Yukio." Sai supplied, sipping his coffee. "His attitude certainly lives up to his name."

Sasuke smirked. "'Get's what he wants.' Not with Naruto."

"Damn right, 'not with Naruto!'" Naruto said vehemently, crossing his arms over his chest and nodding. "He made lewd comments the whole time we were there and, on the first night, he put his hand on my ass. I told him I'd cut his dick off if he didn't stop touching me!"

Behind his mug, Sai smiled. "So you were going to make him dickless, Dickless?"

"Shut up! It's not funny!" Naruto said, indignant. On the table, Sasuke was turning an interesting shade of red, his dark eyes narrowing as his tiny hands clenched into fists, the Uchiha exuding menace like a cloud. If he had been normal sized, it would have been terrifying but as he was, the scare factor really was absent, making him seem more like a petulant child than someone proficient in the knowledge of killing. Still though, Naruto was glad that Sasuke would not be meeting the prince.

_Good thing I didn't mention what Yukio attempted at night. _The blonde thought and decided that a change in the conversation's direction would be an excellent idea. The pervert prince was in the past and, presently, Naruto had to concentrate on keeping Sasuke hidden. "You want a drink, teme?"

The Uchiha had to visibly struggle to calm himself before he could manage a curt nod in the jinchuuriki's direction and Naruto bit his lip to keep from grinning as he headed in the direction of his bedroom.

_Once we're done painting the interior of the doll house, the teme can pick out some furniture to put all this in and then I won't have to keep doing this!_ Naruto mentally huffed as he routed through the shopping bags for the box of Sasuke-sized dishware he knew was in there. Somewhere. Maybe.

Eventually he did find the box, the object of his search cleverly hiding underneath the extra sets of bed clothes Naruto had purchased, and triumphantly the blond retrieved his prize. Irritated, not wanting to repeat this again, the jinchuuriki took a moment to organize and condense his purchases. It was as he finished tidying his room that Naruto felt felt Sai's muted chakra flare and, puzzled, the blond picked up his pace, suddenly worried that Sasuke and the artist were fighting.

"I told them to play nice!" The blond grumbled quietly, leaving the room and practically stomping down the hall as he heard an odd click, the sound quickly lost as he continued his grousing. "Can't they get along for five minutes unsupervised?!"

_This is how Kakashi- sensei must have felt about Sasuke and I. _The thought made Naruto smile and kept his mind occupied with memories of past fights with the newly returned brunet.

"S-Sakura-chan..!" Naruto's mouth felt bone dry as he stared in horror at his female teammate. The shock of suddenly seeing her was like a bucket of ice water to his senses, making his body freeze up with terror on Sasuke behalf, his stomach twisting itself into painful knots. Clenching his hand around the box he held, he realized he was shaking and tried to calm down, hoping that his female teammate wouldn't notice his odd behavior. His efforts were wasted however since Sakura, standing in the doorway to his apartment, didn't even glance in Naruto's direction

"Good morning Sakura." Sai said pleasantly, his expression and smile politely distant. The artist had not moved from his seat at the kitchen table and it was the small figure between Sai's hands that held her attention. "Would you like some coffee?"

Sakura ignored the offer of refreshment, her gaze firmly on the Uchiha, the key Naruto had given her to his apartment dangling from her fingers. When she spoke, her voice was hesitant and wavered slightly. "Is that…Sasuke-kun?"

The smile the former ROOT member directed at them only inspired feelings of anger and betrayal within Naruto as the jinchuuriki watched the artist use one of Sasuke's limp hands to wave at both members at Team Seven. As Sai flaunted Sasuke at Naruto and Sakura both, the Uchiha hung limply, like a broken doll.

A chill went down Naruto's spine as he abruptly realized that the Uchiha wasn't moving at all, not even to breathe, and the blonde searched Sasuke's small face desperately for some sign of life. His heart galloping fiercely in his chest and feeling as if he was going to be sick, the blond waited for the Uchiha to move, to resist, but, much like a puppet, Sasuke didn't move in any way other than as Sai directed. Dark, sightless eyes seemed to stare back at Naruto accusingly as Sakura walked past the blond and gently touched Sasuke's hair with a fingertip.

_I can't hear his heart beating… _Naruto couldn't breathe as he felt the color drain from his face, grey eating at his vision and rage clawing at his heart. _I can't… Sasuke!_

As Sai continued to smile benignly at him, deep inside the jinchuuriki's mind the Kyuubi roared with raucous laughter.

* * *

A/N: Since it is that time of year again and Anime Expo Los Angeles is looming on the horizon, some of you may be wondering if another Fanart T-shirt contest is about to be announced and, though I will ecstatically accept any artwork, the answer is no. With the discontinuation of several of my stories (please see profile for full explanation), there is very little inspiration to draw from since the only story being actively updated is this one and though quite a number of you seem to enjoy it immensely (Thank you!) there really are no scenes that appear to be art-worthy. But that's just my opinion as a (not terribly note-worthy) writer who can only draw stick figures; a 'Word' document is my canvas and the English language my paint pallet and anything beyond that is well outside my meager skill set.

I am hoping to update at least once more before this summer so stay tuned for the continuing adventures of tiny Sasuke!

Please let me know if you think anyone is out of character- I'm trying my best here but its a fine line, especially with Sasuke. BTW, if 'Yukio' does not mean 'Get's what he wants,' please tell me so that I can alter the story accordingly. Love it? Hate it? Let me know in a review!


	8. Big or Small, All's Fair in Love and War

**Scale Chapter 8: Big or small, all's fair in love and war 5047**

As before,** *** **denotes that time has passed and that the previous point of view has been continued

* * *

"The ink isn't dry yet." Sai explained, deftly moving Sasuke out of Sakura's reach before the kunoichi could touch Sasuke-kun's face. He smiled while he spoke, deliberately ignoring the look of disappointment that darted across her face as he hid the Uchiha under the table, sitting Sasuke on his thigh. "I do not think I could be so accurate a second time."

"It's so life-like." Sakura said, withdrawing her hand and letting it hang by her side as she visibly struggled to shake off her surprise. "I knew that you did some doll pieces in your spare time but that is truly a work of art, Sai! What made you paint one like Sasuke-kun?"

"Naruto misses him." Sai said matter-of-factly, as if it was the most obvious thing in the world. The kunoichi watched him expectantly, waiting for him to elaborate, but, when he did not, Sakura began to look very uncomfortable. Glancing over at Naruto, who had not moved since Sakura's arrival, Sai felt a strong sense of alarm flash through him. "Sakura, please check Naruto."

"You aren't going to throw a fit over dolls again, are you…?" Frowning and clearly irritated, the kunoichi turned her attention fully on the blond, did a double take and strode over to him. It wasn't surprising that she was concerned since the jinchuuriki had paled considerably with beads of sweat plainly visible on his forehead and temples. The medic ninja began demanding answers from the blond as she fired off questions, but Naruto ignored her, his angry blue eyes focused intently on Sai.

Taking advantage of Sakura's distraction, Sai released the henge cloaking Sasuke and placed the furious looking Uchiha inside the dollhouse before shutting the construction and locking it. The artist heard the tiny brunet moving around before Sasuke's face appeared in one of the second story windows and Sai gave the other a warning look to remain hidden.

There was a muffled thump as Naruto's knees hit the floor but Sakura's noises of distress were swallowed by the blonde's claims that he was alright.

"Sai, give me a hand!" Sakura commanded, ignoring the jinchuuriki's protests as she knelt next to her teammate, her hands automatically checking his pulse and temperature.

Sai was with them in seconds, kneeling on Naruto's unoccupied side and placing a hand on the blonde's shoulder. Panicking would not help and so, to his emotions in check as Naruto's coloring returned to normal, the artist moved his hand to the nape of the jinchuuriki's neck, letting his fingers idly play with the mussed blonde spikes there while he covertly took the box of doll-sized dishes from Naruto's hand and slid it under the couch next to them.

"I'm fine," Naruto said again, but there was a subtle note of strain in his voice that Sai detected easily. The artist regretted scaring the blonde but there was nothing to be done about it, not with Sakura in attendance. "I'm just hungry."

Sakura sat back on her heels, looking him over critically before her gaze drifted briefly to flick over Sai. "You're stomach is going to have to wait a bit longer. Tsunade-seisho sent me to get you."

"Huh?" Naruto frowned, leaning away from her and a little heavier against Sai.

"She wants to talk to you." Sakura elaborated, standing and absently brushing her knees off as she waited for the other two to get up.

"Fine, fine." Naruto grumbled unhappily, standing and turning to trudge down the hall to his bedroom. "Lemme go change first."

"It is very odd that the Godaime-sama wants to see him this early." Sai noted, studying the kunoichi once the blonde had disappeared into the bedroom. "The sun has just risen, correct? And you, too, have clearly been up awhile. Did you not tell me on our last mission that lack of sleep was the enemy of clear skin?"

"Tsunade-seisho suddenly ordered an inventory of our anti-venom stores." Sakura explained, grimacing and looking all the more exhausted. "Until I was sent here, I was helping Shizune-sempai catalog everything all night long."

Sai frowned, wondering if this was an annual event within Konoha's medical community or if there was another reason behind the activity. "Was this a scheduled activity?"

Sakura's brow puckered thoughtfully and the artist mentally sighed as he waited for the kunoichi to collect her thoughts since sleep deprivation dulled even the sharpest of minds. "No, it was very abrupt actually. She pulled me off clinical duty last night to help Shizune-sempai. When we finished, sempai and I reported to the Godaime in her office and Shizune had to wake Tsunade-seisho up so she would stop drooling on the mission reports all over her desk…" Sakura paused in her rambling, her lips turning down in a frown as she scrubbed a hand over her face tiredly. "She must have been reading them all night..."

Sai kept his expression patient, revealing none of the worry that was suddenly gnawing at him. It was possible that there was another perfectly valid reason why Tsunade would suddenly be concerned with Konoha's anti-venom stock that had absolutely nothing to do with the incident involving Naruto…

"When we were stacking the files, I noticed that most of them seemed to be related to Claw and Bear Country though and one was definitely Naruto's- I'd know his scrawl anywhere! But the Godaime wouldn't explain anything and just sent me to come get Naruto." She abruptly laughed. "I bet that's why Tsunade-seisho fell asleep- she got eyestrain from trying to read that idiot's handwriting!"

Sai did not share her mirth but before he could attempt to question Sakura further, Naruto interrupted.

"I heard that!" The voice from the bedroom may have been muffled but that did nothing to hide the indignation it contained.

"Then hurry up and learn some penmanship, moron! That's probably why she wants to see you so early in the morning- so you have the whole day to rewrite the damn report!" Sakura roared, causing one of Naruto's neighbors to bang on the wall in protest. Chastised, the kunoichi ducked her head in Sai's direction, her eyebrows rising as she finally registered his state of dress. "Why are you here this early, Sai?"

"It was movie night last night." The artist answered, unconcerned. "Do you remember the names of the authors of the other reports?"

Blinking, Sakura nodded slowly though her shoulders noticeably stiffened. "Movie ran that long, huh?"

She was either deliberately ignoring his last question of simply hadn't registered hearing it and Sai wondered at the odd edge to her voice that somehow made the idle question more significant than it should have been. Wondering where this was going and knowing he wouldn't get any answers from her until he solved the mystery of her behavior, Sai watched her face as he answered calmly. "No, actually we had an early night."

"We?" Sakura repeated, surprise and anger briefly flashing across her face before she could mask them. Visibly working to keep the expression, her face took on a look of mild concern as she licked her lips. "Naruto was a little warm. Was he like that…last night?"

"No, but it is not unusual for him to feel warm in the morning when I touch him." The artist offered, puzzled by the expression that suddenly appeared on Sakura's face. He did not know it and so he filed it away for further study later.

"When you…" She blinked, eyes narrowing. "Touch him?"

Sai nodded and cocked his head to the side, studying her reaction as he explained. "His body heats up at night so it is normal for his skin to become very warm." Another expression darted across the kunoichi's face but this one Sai did recognize. "Why are you jealous, Sakura?"

She flushed and sputtered before hissing venomously, "How would you know how warm he gets at night?"

Sai frowned at her accusatory tone. "We sleep together."

Sakura's mouth opened then closed, her eyes widening comically as she continued to gape at Sai, a brilliant blush breaking out across her cheeks.

"Will you lock up Sai?" Naruto asked as he rejoined them, rubbing the back of his head with one hand and tugging his jacket into place with the other. He was now wearing his normal mission attire as he walked past them, pausing in the doorway as he pulled on his sandals and waited for the kunoichi.

Sai nodded, walking to the door and undoing the lock to open the portal. "Yes. Please remember your keys this time."

"Never going to live that down." The blonde muttered, scrubbing a hand through his hair. Naruto leaned into the artist, putting his lips close to Sai's left ear, using the former ROOT member's head to hide his lips from Sakura as he whispered softly, "I kept my promise in full. Please protect him while I'm gone and don't tease him, Sai."

Sai smiled and pulled away, nodding shallowly to indicate that he would do what was asked of him. Naruto's posture instantly became more relaxed and he nodded before stepping through the door, a silent, red faced Sakura following behind him.

* * *

"Those are the parameters of your mission." Tsunade said grimly, her expression sympathetic but nonetheless unyielding. "If those two go to war, it could plunge the entire region into chaos and we must avoid it at all costs."

Naruto stared at her, his mouth agape. "But, but the treaty was signed last week! It's a done deal- there's no point in threatening anyone now!"

The Godaime nodded in agreement but her expression hardened. "Nothing is finalized until the wedding and without the prince and princess joined in holy matrimony, the treaty is only ink and paper. The wedding must go through as planned, Naruto, and you have **specifically** been requested **by both sides **to make that happen."

"But I didn't do anything except watch the prince and call him a prick!" The teenager whined, confused and angry. He folded his arms, put out with the whole situation. He wasn't going back there to be pawed and groped again, no way, and he petulantly told Tsunade as much. "Get Ino to go- the prince has a thing for blondes and she'll probably like the cover story better."

"Your participation is vital Naruto." Tsunade growled. "Without you there is no wedding. No wedding means no peace. No peace means all out war!"

"But it's just two tiny countries in the middle of nowhere!" Naruto shouted, his hands balled at his sides. He nearly stamped his foot but resisted the urge. "One is full of mountains and the other is only known for its weaving! Why would anyone care about them and why are we being dragged into it again?!"

"We went over this before the last mission, gaki, and the answer hasn't changed!" Tsunade said, a tick suddenly possessing her left eyebrow and making it dance. "Konoha is already seen as a weak village and to an extent that is true. We do not have the resources to withstand a prolonged war, Naruto, and that is why we care!"

"But-!"

"Shizune will help you find appropriate clothing so leave that orange monstrosity here."

"But I-!"

"No 'buts,' gaki! You're leaving immediately!"

"_**I am not a whore!" **_He all but screamed, desperate to make her understand just how much she was demanding of him. "I am a ninja and my duty is to protect my precious people!"

"And when those 'precious people' get caught in the cross fire of a war that _**you **_could have single-handedly prevented, what will you be then? When you stand in front of their graves and apologize do you think they will care as you explain that you couldn't violate your personal ethics?" The Godaime's hand slammed down on her desk as she abruptly stood, leaning across her desk and causing the wood to groan ominously, making Naruto wonder if Shizune would have to order another desk today. "There are greater things at stake, Naruto! You cannot let your personal biases get in the way of the greater good! This is what it means to be a leader! This is what it means to be Hokage!"

Naruto felt his lips curl in contempt, the action twisting his expression into something completely unfamiliar as he bowed his head, his eyes narrowing dangerously at the floor. It worried him, his reaction, but that worry was pushed aside as his anger hit flash point inside him, causing other calculating and self-serving elements to awaken and flip a switch he had had to fight very hard to repress. In the past, he had always simply let his emotions out for fear that keeping them all contained would warp him as it had Sasuke but this time Naruto held onto it, using it as fuel for his courage, for his plans.

Tsunade was right- there were greater things at stake. To prevent a needless war, to protect those dearest to him, he would do what was necessary but, this time, he simply couldn't and wouldn't do it for free. It made him hate himself for his selfishness but this was a golden opportunity for him to make use of the sacrifice that was being asked of him and secure something in return. She needed him involved to make the mission a success and that gave him a bargaining advantage he'd never previously had when negotiating an agreement.

With his head still bowed, he silently approached the desk and placed his hands upon it, a sense of satisfaction coursing through him as his additional weight made the wood groan again. When he finally looked up, he was nearly nose to nose with Tsunade and he pinned her with the full force of his hardened gaze, using his larger physical presence for the first time to be truly intimidating. It took a lot of effort but he did not shout, instead working to keep his voice low and even as he spoke, never breaking eye contact with the buxom blond as he invaded her personal space as if it was his absolute right.

"I know all about sacrifice, Godaime-_sama_, more intimately than you can possibly imagine. I will prevent your war by any means necessary in exchange for your agreement to honor my demands."

"_**Demands?!"**_ Tsunade yelled, outraged. "You are a shinobi of this village-"

Naruto's voice remained low as it smoothly cut off her loud tirade. "Who is absolutely vital to this next mission to maintain the peace of the region and prevent the fourth great ninja war."

Tsunade's jaw worked as she glared at him so hard that Naruto should have burst into flames instantaneously but she had lost this argument- he knew it and she knew it. What she was asking of him gave him a legitimate claim to request compensation and, as Hokage, she had the obligation to fulfill it within reason and to the best of her ability. They stared at each other, the Godaime's face twisting into something ugly as Naruto watched her with a serene expression.

"I could have you arrested for treason." She said at length, a vein in her temple throbbing as she clasped her hands in front of her. It was an idle threat- if Tsunade followed through and locked him in a cell then the mission wouldn't proceed, putting them all right back at square one. Even if she did put him in prison, she would only have to release him if both Fang and Claw were making such a racket for him to be on site for the wedding.

"Then you better begin preparing for war." Naruto replied, his lips curling into a smirk that would have made any Uchiha proud. Damn Sasuke for rubbing off on him so much.

Tsunade ground her teeth so hard that Naruto could hear it and his teeth ached in sympathy but he would not back down.

There were greater things at stake.

"Fine!" Tsunade sat back in her chair heavily and threw up her hands in submission. She glared at him but there was a glint of pride in her eyes, as if she were proud of his action despite the aggravation it caused her. "Let's hear your terms, gaki."

* * *

"How long does it take to rewrite a mission report?" Sasuke said, pacing back and forth across the table, making yet another circuit around their used breakfast dishes. In the hour since Naruto's departure, the pair had already eaten and bathed after which Sai had seen to the Uchiha's wounds so that now all that remained was for both of them to get dressed properly.

The artist glanced at the agitated Uchiha before returning to work on the tiny shirt he was in the process of altering.

Sasuke paused and glared at the silently sewing brunet. "What the hell are you doing anyway?"

"You're current clothing is unsuitable." Sai said, tying off the last stitch and biting off the extra thread. "Come here, please, and try this on."

The tiny brunet scowled. For several seconds he didn't budge but before Sai could repeat his request, Sasuke approached and held out his hand, looking irritated and put out about the whole thing. Part of the artist was annoyed over the other's display, especially so given that Sai was only attempting to fulfill Naruto's request and care for the Uchiha.

"How does it fit?" The artist asked when the other had pulled the shirt on but failed to comment. The shirt had been made from one of Sasuke's old blue shirts that Naruto had kept after the Uchiha's defection so the fabric should have at least been comfortable against Sasuke's pale skin. It was unfortunate however that the fabric would not be suitable for pants and the artist made a mental note to stop by a fabric shop while running errands.

"It fits." Sasuke said at length, straightening the collar, the combination of the shirt and the towel knotted at his waist looking out of place.

"Good." Sai said, pushing out his chair. From the separated piles of clothing dotting the table, the artist selected and pushed a small pair of pants and boxers toward the Uchiha before standing so that the other could finish getting dressed in private. Grasping the knot of cloth at his own waist, Sai peeked briefly through the blind of the large dining room window to take in the day's overcast weather before crossing the room to retrieve clean clothing from his backpack. Hurrying, he headed down the hallway to the bedroom to get dressed, hoping he could complete his shopping before the rain hit.

* * *

The Godaime's eyes narrowed as she looked up at him, staring at him like she had never seen him before. "I cannot do this, Naruto, not in exchange for what the mission requires. Your demands are completely out of proportion with the scope of the responsibilities asked of you."

The significance of the phrasing of her answer was not missed by the jinchuuriki but he did not let his anxiety show. In truth, Naruto was asking for a great deal but, as the agreement stood, Tsunade would not go along with it though that did not mean that she would dismiss it just yet. Knowing Tsunade, she had a demand of her own to add, something of which she had deliberately withheld when initially outlining the mission, and a brief flare of fear flashed through him before the teenager could firmly stomp it out.

Naruto licked his lips, planning his argument carefully. This wasn't an easy thing to do since persuasion wasn't a skill he himself had used a lot but Naruto had seen others do it, and he used them as his model as he continued, incorporating their sense of drama and vocabulary into his own. Sasuke, Neji, Tsunade, and even Sakura were all very good at twisting the words of an argument and using them to create a completely opposite argument, all while sounding terribly reasonable. They did it to Naruto all the time, making his head spin in confusion until by the end of the conversation he did exactly what they wanted because he could no longer tell his left from his right! He hated it but he had to make Tsunade see that he would not back down, that he was not a stupid kid any longer, and that if he was doing this mission she had to meet his demands.

It was time for Naruto to try his hand at the art of verbal combat.

"You are whoring out the future Hokage," He said, proud that his voice was steady as he mimicked a reasonable and confident tone of voice. "That in and of itself will damage Konoha's reputation and mine once it gets out. This wedding is also an excellent way to gain both credibility and allies through simple networking, thereby insulating Konoha from future attacks without lifting a kunai. I assume the team you send with me will be chosen for their sociability as well as their battle skills? Being that it is Claw Country's neighbor, Lightning Country is bound to send an envoy to attend and this will be a magnificent way to sooth some of the bad feeling caused by the treaty between us. With Fang's permission, Konoha can post a squad along their border with Rice Field Country and keep an eye on the trouble you have undoubtedly heard about brewing there."

"I'm amazed by how well informed you suddenly are." Tsunade remarked dryly, attempting to look nonchalant despite the sharp, warning undertone to her voice. "It is comforting to know that at last you can use that empty head of yours, gaki."

Naruto scowled, his self imposed patience wearing thin. "That's my price! You pay it in full and you start right here, right now. No procrastinating, Baa-chan; begin drawing up the paperwork or start preparing for war."

Tsunade folded her arms under her ample bosom, her eyes narrowed and her lips pressed in a tight line. "Then I have a condition to add to our pact."

* * *

Though it was quite early in the morning, Konoha's open air market was bustling with people hurrying to complete their errands before the day's weather turned dismal. Attempting to be as efficient as possible among the hoard clogging the narrow path that divided the multitude of stalls, Sai had already been to the fabric store and come away with all the supplies he would need in order to make suitable clothing for the Uchiha.

To his credit, Naruto had tried very hard to give Sasuke an appropriate wardrobe to wear but the inherent problem with clothing that was made for an inanimate object was that it was inappropriate for a living, breathing creature. Dolls did not become hot or cold, did not care if it was rainy or sunny, did not complain about how the fabric actually felt against their skin. Dolls did not get sick and though they could be destroyed, they could not die in the way humans could.

Sasuke may have been doll sized, but he certainly was not an unfeeling toy and he could die a very real death if not clothed properly. The issue of the traitor's size alone put him in danger of being harmed by circumstances neither Naruto or Sai would consider a threat and so the artist had to even more diligent in his self-designated task to mitigate any potential hazards to the Uchiha.

He didn't know why, but watching Naruto fuss over the tiny ninja was a sight Sai was rapidly beginning to find nauseating.

It was as Sai was standing outside the grocery store inspecting the tomatoes on display that he noticed Sakura walking in his direction. The kunoichi did not look rested and so the artist concluded that Tsunade had not dismissed after fetching Naruto.

"Hello Sakura-chan." Sai greeted as her path brought her closer to his position.

"Sai…" Looking half awake, she scrubbed a hand over her face and rocked to a stop beside him. "I thought I told you it was okay to leave off the suffix. We're friends so it's okay to be informal."

"Apologies, Sakura." Sai replied contritely. Looking over the kunoichi, he decided that stopping her had been an unwise decision since she obviously had been heading home to get to bed. He set the tomato in his hand back down on the pile and turned in the direction Sakura had been going. "Shall I walk you home?"

Nodding, she grasped his arm and leaned against him as the two began walking.

In the silence that followed, Sai thought about relationships. He thought about his friendship with Sakura, the kunoichi asleep on her feet, and about the way her soft body pressed against his side in a warm line. He thought about his friendship with Naruto and contrasted how different the kunoichi's body felt in comparison to the blonde's.

"Are you working on another project?" Sakura asked suddenly, rousing as they neared her door. She fished clumsily for her keys in her pocket, making the pieces of metal jingle in counterpoint to their footsteps.

"Yes," Sai said, glancing briefly at the plastic bag filled with yards of fabric hanging from his free hand. "I wish to complete Naruto's and needed more fabric."

"Naruto's not going to like it, you know." The kunoichi said flatly. "Whatever doll you make, he's only going to break it."

Sai blinked and frowned, not liking that she was picking on the blonde. "Naruto is capable of being quite gentle…"

Sakura made a loud rude noise and Sai immediately stopped walking.

"Explain, please." He demanded, looking at her intently, his frown deepening.

"Well, I mean," Sakura flushed as she floundered for an answer. "Naruto's about as gentle as a bull, is all. Whatever he does, he charges it straight on regardless of the situation."

She was correct but only to a point and Sai looked up at the swollen grey clouds above as he spoke. "Naruto is very strong but he only releases that strength when engaged in battle. He exercises great care daily to keep that strength in check."

Despite how irresponsible he seemed, the blond was physically powerful and it was a lesson Sai had learned only after Naruto had not been in a position to control it. Once he was unconscious, the jinchuuriki could no longer regulate his strength and this had proved both surprising and life-threatening to the former ROOT member when the blonde had nearly crushed him during an episode of delirium. In a fight, having a target to pummel to his heart's content must be incredibly cathartic for Naruto and if that was the case, his blatant willingness to run recklessly into a confrontation was of little surprise.

"Oh please!" Sakura rolled her eyes dramatically and waved a hand at him. "He tramples everything in his path and then we have to clean up the mess! Honestly Sai, that Sasuke doll you made is just a waste for a guy like Naruto! He'll only break it, not appreciate it like I would."

Sai's brow furrowed as he tried to understand the motive behind the sudden turn in conversation. As hard as Naruto could be to deal with, somehow Sakura was even more exhausting and the artist was at a complete loss as to how to handle her. Ignoring the rumble of thunder over head, Sai stared at her, hoping she would give him more information to work with.

"I mean," Sakura blushed, and shifted under his gaze, toeing the ground with her foot. She ducked her head, looking up at him through her lashes shyly and the coy display made the hair on the back of Sai's neck stand up. "Since that idiot would only break it, I'd make a much better recipient for such a present. Won't you…give it to me instead?"

_Danger,_ Sai's senses whispered, his body already priming for a fight. Even allowing the kunoichi every amount of leniency warranted by the situation, this behavior was odd. She was not asking him to make her one of her own- she was asking directly for the 'doll' Sai was supposedly giving to Naruto.

"It would be rude of me to take back a present I have already given," The artist said gently in an effort to defuse the situation. "But if you would like one as well, I can make you one."

Whether she accepted the offer of not, Sai planned on making several pseudo-Sasukes just in case. It was not that he expected her to break into Naruto's apartment and steal Sasuke exactly but Sakura could be incredibly and particularly tenacious about certain areas of interest. It would be very… inconvenient if the kunoichi found out that the Sasuke 'doll' was anything but.

Sakura was not fast enough with her wide smile and pleased tone to hide the subtle expression of anger that crossed her face before Sai saw it. "Thank you so much, Sai!"

Before the artist could think of a response, rain began to fall on the pair causing Sakura to shriek and bid a hasty farewell as she unlocked the door and ducked inside. Though unbothered by the downpour, Sai, too, quickly turned and headed back toward the market so that he could complete his shopping, thoroughly unsettled by their conversation.

Naruto's hand seemed to swallow Tsunade's as they shook over the signed document resting on the desk between them.

"I have faith in you, Baa-chan." The teenager said, smiling in what he hoped was a confident manner. There were butterflies the size of toasters flitting about inside his stomach and he had to concentrate on locking his knees together to keep them from shaking.

Tsunade made a rude noise and withdrew her hand. "You may not be saying that later, now go home and prepare your things immediately gaki."

"No problem!" Naruto said, rubbing the back of his head and laughing nervously. "Leave it to me!"

Her expression serious, the Godaime nodded shallowly but did not take her eyes off him. "I'll see you at the hospital in an hour, Naruto."

Officially dismissed, the teenager fled, feeling as if he had just made a deal with the devil even if he had been the instigator of the situation.

_There are greater things at stake,_ he reminded himself silently. Though he knew that they were true, the words sounded hollow when he abruptly remembered what his mission- and Tsunade's new condition- entailed.

***

"I'm home!" Naruto called out, closing the apartment door behind him and locking it. "Sai, you still here?"

The door to the dollhouse opened as Sasuke stepped out onto the kitchen table. "He left a little while ago, dobe." There was a pause and Naruto watched the Uchiha's pale cheeks flame before uttering an awkward, "Welcome home."

The blonde held still, closing his eyes and basking in the warmth the simple greeting caused before heading over to the teme. Using his foot, he dragged the single kitchen chair over and sat down on it heavily, looking the small brunet up and down, taking note of the new blue shirt and black pants.

"Did you and Sai get along alright while I was gone?" Naruto teased, folding his arms on the table and laying his head on them so that he was eye level with the Uchiha.

"Don't ask stupid questions." Sasuke walked over and flicked the blonde's nose once before folding his arms over and leaning against the tan skin. The brunet smelled like soap, shampoo and very faintly of musk, Sasuke's own unique scent, and as Naruto inhaled he remembered that he personally still needed to shower.

They were literally eye to eye and the jinchuuriki shut his eyes slowly, finding the position a bit too intimate for his own comfort yet unwilling to move. He wanted some comfort, just a little, and Sasuke was unknowingly providing a lot until a gentle tug on his blond wayward hair got his attention and Naruto opened one eye to look at the small figure frowning at him.

"What's wrong?" The question was followed by a pale hand being pressed to Naruto's forehead and blue eyes looked up automatically, blond eyebrows arching and making the expanse of tan skin wrinkle.

"I have another mission." The jinchuuriki muttered unhappily as the brunet withdrew his hand. "We leave in a few days but I gotta do something first for Tsunade so I actually have to get ready now."

"I thought you just got back from a mission." The Uchiha noted, the disapproving note in his voice making the blonde sigh as he nodded, the action nearly causing Sasuke to fall over.

Naruto nodded, making Sasuke nearly fall over. "I did but now we gotta go back."

"I'm coming with you." Was the immediate response and Naruto smiled before he could stop it.

"And what are you going to do?" The blonde asked, irritated that his voice reflected the duel emotions of fear and happiness over Sasuke's willingness to keep him company. "I haven't seen you do anything that uses chakra, teme, so I don't think that you can use any jutsu and you can't just glare at people until they run away in terror! One well placed foot and you're Uchiha paste on the carpet!"

Sasuke's fists were balled at his sides as he scowled fiercely at the blonde. He looked adorable, not fearsome, making Naruto want to laugh out loud and the blonde sank his teeth into his bottom lip hard to keep the urge contained. It wasn't funny and he should not be laughing at his friend.

_But he looks so damn cute!_

The Uchiha grabbing hold of Naruto's eyelid and yanking the delicate skin banished that thought instantly. The blonde reared back but Sasuke didn't let go and the additional weight of the brunet dangling from the handful of delicate skin was pure agony as Naruto thrashed, trying to dislodge the ninja without actually hurting his friend. Ultimately, all his wobbling and cursing earned him a quick trip to the floor as the chair tipped over.

"Ow, my head!" Naruto whined, covering his tearing eye with one hand and gingerly touching the new bump on his cranium with the other. "Damn it, Sas-ke!"

The sudden pressure on his throat was startling and it took several seconds for it to register that the brunet was using his minimal weight to effectively cut off the blood flow to Naruto's brain. If Sasuke had truly meant him harm, had truly been an enemy with a blade, the blond would already have been bleeding to death before he hit the floor.

Sasuke stood fully from his crouched position and stepped up onto Naruto's chin, walking until he stood squarely atop the blonde's sinus cavity. "My size and my ability to perform jutsu may have been compromised, dobe, but I am still an Uchiha! I am still a ninja and I do not need your protection!"

Naruto blinked, the worry born in Tsuande's office rearing up again. He swallowed it and the fear left a burning trail all the way down his throat. "Do you trust me, teme?"

The question seemed to catch the fuming Uchiha off guard and Sasuke folded his arms over his chest, cocking his head to one side. "What?"

"Because I don't trust you." Naruto said softly, elaborating before the brunet could lash out. "Right now, you are more fragile and vulnerable than you've ever been. It…scares the hell out of me that you can be hurt so easily, that I can hurt you so easily without trying, and I don't know what I would do if…"

Blushing, he swallowed hard and took a deep breath to collect himself. "You left, teme, and it turned my world upside down. It took a long time but its finally right side up and part of that is because you're back, however much you may not want to be. This mission is important and I'm going to be in a position that will put me in danger most of the time we're there. You say you don't need me to worry after you but, damn it, you need someone to do that! You're so fucking eager to prove how much you don't need any body's help that you're blind to the danger you're already in!"

Sasuke's expression was fluid as Naruto spoke, changing smoothly from emotion to emotion, going the entire gambit starting with outrage to wonder to apologetic to contempt as the blonde finished. The brunet glared down at the jinchuuriki for a very long time before hopping onto the floor beside Naruto's head and responding. "You were always the one who needed a babysitter, dobe, and that hasn't changed even after all this time."

He smirked and Naruto felt like screaming in frustration as he glared at the ceiling.

"You," Sasuke said thoughtfully, making the blonde turn slightly in his direction. "Never were any good when it came to covert ops. From what you've said, you are going undercover, probably as part of Yukio's entourage, and will primarily be on your own for the majority of time even though another team will be there. Has Tsunade given you any training in political social gatherings?"

Blinking in surprise, Naruto shook his head slightly, watching as the Uchiha nodded absently, obviously lost in thought. "Isn't it just like any other party but with, like, more bowing or something?"

Sasuke stared at Naruto as if he had said something outrageously profane.

"So, I take that as a 'no'?"

* * *

"Do you know if Tsunade is supplying your wardrobe?" Sasuke looked over the dobe's clothing with dismay. It was all perfectly fine for regular wear and tear missions but completely unacceptable given what was to be expected of Naruto. The blonde hadn't come out and said exactly what that position was which meant that either he wasn't comfortable with it or that Naruto knew that Sasuke was going to hate it.

Neither option sat well with the Uchiha.

"Yeah, I think." The blonde said hurriedly, pulling on a clean pair of black sweat pants over his blue boxers. He snatched up and donned a white tank top that was quickly covered by a gray sweatshirt before turning to the bed stand where Sasuke stood. "There's a note for Sai in the kitchen, make sure he reads it. I gotta go- I got five minutes to be at the hospital or else Tsunade may call off the deal!"

_Deal? _"The hospital?" The Uchiha repeated, concerned. "What's wrong? Are you sick?"

"No, no." Naruto muttered, bending to quickly set Sasuke on the floor before jogging down the hall to the door and making the floor boards vibrate. "Not yet, anyway."

"What?!" Sasuke had to run to do it but he managed to keep up with the harried blonde.

Grimacing, Naruto pulled on his sandals, not even caring that he had put them on the wrong feet. "Look, teme, I gotta go! Stay with Sai and please, just try to get along with him! I'll see you in a few days!"

"_**A few days?!"**_ Sasuke sputtered, his heart seeming to fall out of his chest at the prospect that the blond would be out of sight for that long. _**"Naruto Uzumaki get back here and explain yourself!"**_

"Tell Sai to take you shopping!" Naruto said, ignoring the fuming Uchiha and using his foot to keep Sasuke from following into the apartment complex hallway after him. "Be ready to go- Oh!"

_Finally!_ Calming somewhat, Sasuke glared up at the blonde expectantly.

"Tell Sai to look on the top shelf of my closet for a cup hidden behind the stack of spare blankets! Tell him to give you what's inside! You're going to need to be armed if you're going to be my secret weapon."

The jinchuuriki winked once and then was gone, the door shut firmly behind him before Sasuke could even respond.

* * *

"You were very nearly late, gaki." Tsunade said, ignoring him as he fought to catch his breath while following her deeper under the hospital. "It would have been alright if you changed your mind, Naruto."

"N, no way," The teenager huffed, a hand on his chest over his racing heart. "I never go back on my word, baa-chan, and I'm holding you to that contract no matter what you throw at me."

"You may not feel that way later." Tsunade cautioned, taking a set of keys from her pocket and unlocking a door that blended seamlessly with the wall. It was nearly undistinguishable even in the brightly lit corridor and Naruto let out a low whistle at the craftsmanship in an effort to relieve some of his growing anxiety over what was to come.

The door swung inward to reveal what would have been an immaculately clean area if not for the Sanskrit seals covering the walls and the clinical set up in the middle of the room. Equipment had already been arranged around the upholstered exam table and Naruto had to fight for every step against his instinct to flee as he approached it. Knowing that he was stalling, the teenager took off his sweatshirt and held in like a shield between himself and the machinery around him.

Tsunade's hand on his back made him jump, reminding him that dawdling would get him nowhere. He had made a deal and by God he was going to stick to it! Besides, he'd lived through something similar before and that time hadn't killed him…though it had hurt like hell and he had had to turn to Sai for help… But Naruto hadn't died, that was the important thing, and with that thought firmly in mind, he leapt onto the bed.

"What happened to your eye, gaki?" Tsunade asked as she gripped his chin and used it to reposition his face so that she could look at the wounded area. Naruto had tried to reduce the swelling in his shower and, though most of the damage had faded, some bruising still remained.

"I, um, fell…?" He said, them had to resist the urge to roll his eyes at his inane answer. He _fell?_ On what, a nail? A pair of pliers that automatically closed and wouldn't let go? _Come on, I can do better than that…Ow! Oh my God, ow! _"That hurts! Stop poking it Baa-chan!"

"Hmm." Tsunade released his eyebrow and withdrew her fingers, frowning down at him before walking away from the table and over to a sink set up on the left side of the room. Puzzled, he sat up and watched her, one hand covering his injured eye until a cold wet washcloth sailed across the room to hit full in the face and making him sputter indignantly.

"Put that on it." Tsunade ordered, returning and forcing him to lay back on the table again. "The damage is all superficial but we can't send you to a wedding looking like you got in a bar fight."

_Because, out of anyone, Baa-chan would know about bar fight wounds. _Naruto snorted but did as he was told, closing both eyes and draping the cloth across them as Tsunade went to work.

"Don't forget I'm here, Baa-chan." He told her as he felt her place little sticky pads to his chest and switched on a monitor. The sound of his heart rate abruptly burst into being, providing incredibly irritating background music.

"Pfft." She replied, and from her tone of voice alone he could tell she was rolling her eyes dramatically. "You're too loud a brat to ignore. I couldn't if I tried! Shizune will be down shortly to keep you company and to collect the antibodies from your blood. She'll be exposing you to various toxins on a set schedule and it will be important for you to tell her immediately if you need more time to process a current poison. This is dangerous Naruto…"

"This was your stipulation, baa-chan." He cut in, his voice rising higher momentarily as she pierced his skin and placed an IV in his arm. Naruto moved the cloth enough to reveal his good eye and he stared up at her intently as he spoke. "I agreed so let's get started already! The sooner we start, the more anti-venom I can produce and the sooner I can get this whole mess over with!"

He sounded confident but the heart monitor made it plain that his bravado was all for show, proven all the more thoroughly when from a tall rolling cart Tsunade picked up a thin syringe and a small vial half the size of Naruto's pinky. She stuck the needle into the top of the vial and withdrew a quarter of the liquid before with-drawing the syringe and depressing the plunger until drops of moisture oozed from the sharp tip.

"Are you sure you want to do this?" She asked again, poised to inject the deadly contents into the IV line.

He was aware that he was breathing rapidly, that his heart was galloping away with the progress dutifully tracked by the noisy monitor, but he nodded sharply, expression determined.

"Prove me right and reverse your pronouncement," Naruto said, proud that his voice was steady as Tsunade took him at his word and the minor amount of poison began coursing through his veins. "And being a lab rat, stopping a war- it'll all be a small price to pay. Just honor…just honor… "

His words trailed off as Naruto became aware of the spreading sensation of numbness making his lips and limbs tingle. The teenager flexed his hands and had to watch the action to be sure he had done it since he could barely feel the movement. It was familiar but disconcerting, as if someone else was in the process of slowly possessing him while he watched, and desperate for some sort of distraction Naruto glared up at the Godaime stubbornly as he recaptured his original train of thought.

"I've already told teams in the area of Rice Country that the KOS orders have temporarily been lifted for Sasuke." Tsunade said, patting Naruto's head fondly and he nodded in minor relief, smiling up at her even though his vision was becoming distorted. "I'll do my best to investigate that other matter but you know damn well how… delicate I'll have to be while doing so. I never go back on my word either, gaki, now stop glaring at me!"

He obeyed, his eye closing as the ability to keep it open slipped away. So far this wasn't nearly as bad as she had made it out to be- okay, so his breathing was a bit labored and he was mostly numb and maybe the room was a bit warmer than it had been a few seconds ago but the amount of poison was so tiny in comparison to his last experience that it couldn't possibly be worth Tsunade's repeated warnings…

Thought fled as in one single voice every nerve in his body began screaming in tortured agony.

As Sasuke had demonstrated earlier, small things could indeed pack an incredible wallop.

* * *

Sai stared at the cover of the manga in his hand, his puzzlement by the plastic wrapped paperback overcome by the blatant curiosity he felt as he studied the figures on the front cover. Three well dressed young men sat on a white couch as they sipped drinks from long-stemmed glasses, their expressions inviting a sense of familiarity and camaraderie underneath the embossed title of the book, 'Deep Love.' While the shorter two were brunets, the tallest of the three was blond and something about that figure's slightly playful yet challenging expression reminded Sai strongly of his jinchuuriki friend.

The artist frowned in thought as he considered the title of his potential purchase. During previous visits, Sai had already exhausted the library's section on relationships in the vain hope that he would find some insights into the dynamic and complex subject of human interaction. So far, all that he had learned had only served to increase his confusion further, especially so when his attempts to utilize the information fell through or produced unforeseen results that did anything but threaten the tenuous bonds between himself and his teammates.

When Sai had asked him, Naruto had explained friendship as a bond of love which was helpful but still did not give the former ROOT member much of a frame of reference to work with given his lack if experience in social interaction. Sai suspected strongly that speaking to Sakura could prove to be more enlightening but, given her behavior of late, Sai was not willing to ask unless he had no other alternative.

He sighed quietly as he considered the cover again, paying particular attention to the drawn figure that strongly resembled the Uchiha. The artist was not looking forward to spending the day cooped up but at least he would be with Naruto and that was never without entertainment. Though, on further consideration, with the Uchiha was now dwelling in the apartment, Sai doubted that the time would be pleasant despite the exuberant blond. There was nothing to be done about Sasuke-kun unfortunately; he was an important component to Naruto and that meant that Sai would simply have to endure the traitor's return if he wished to remain in Naruto's company.

Sasuke, Naruto's most precious person, and the Uchiha had thrown the blond away like trash in a bid for power…

Sai saw red for a moment as his dislike for the traitor seemed to unwind like some large beast as it filled him, making the artist's grip on the book tighten to the point that he actually began to crush the item before realizing it. Smoothing the cover as best possible, the artist decided that he was going to need all the help he could get and headed up to the cashier to pay. Ignoring the odd looks he received from the blushing girl who charged him, Sai tucked the book into one of the grocery bags absently and headed toward Naruto's apartment with a heavy heart.

Emotions and relationships were not Sai's forte by any stretch of the imagination but it stood to reason that, if he initiated a truly heartfelt friendship with Sasuke, it would beneficial to all involved. Perhaps in time, Sai could become friends with Sasuke as the former ROOT member had with Naruto but, at the moment, a large portion of Sai was terribly unhappy with the situation. On the last mission, Naruto been forced to put his jinchuuriki healing ability to the test to protect Claw's and Fang's royal families from an assassination attempt and Sai had been the only one the blond had trusted when he was in need. Whatever his feelings toward the traitor, the fact remained that Sasuke had temporarily been placed in Sai's care and the artist would not betray the faith that Naruto had placed in Sai's ability to fulfill this responsibility.

Exactly how Sai was supposed to accomplish such a task was beyond the artist's comprehension and so he hoped dearly that this new book would be able to give him some ideas on how best to do it.

* * *

More's Moment of Insanity (because, honestly, there really is no other way to describe it):

::Grimaces apologetically::: Ugh! I actually had the majority of this done and planned out but then ran into issues with Sai. _**Sai…**_! I finally managed to pin down Naruto and Sasuke, then hashed out Sakura and Tsunade, but Sai refused to cooperate. Obstinate, emotionally-stunted little bastard that he is wouldn't play well with me until I beat his ass into submission.

:::Gestures to a hog-tied and gagged Sai at her feet::: But I did it! While juggling two term papers, a mock interview worth 50% of my grade, three regular finals and a legislative presentation _**I DID IT!!!!**_

Ahem. ::Coughs and turns off the 'We are the Champions' theme playing in the background:: Sorry, got a little carried away. It has been a very busy semester and I am happy that I have finished this chapter to share with you all. I hope everyone enjoyed it and lets me know their thoughts via some reviews.

This chapter (hopefully) marks a definite turn in personality for Naruto, who now is looking at the 'Big Picture' angle of things regarding Sasuke's predicament rather than the short term daily challenges facing them. He's made a deal with Tsunade but what were his terms and what exactly does his new mission require him to do that he compares it to prostitution?

Sai has willingly become Naruto's accomplice and stepped into his role as protector of Sasuke. The artist constant calm exterior is about to be seriously put to the test by the Uchiha while Naruto's away. Wonder if that book he bought will help, though, as far as I know, only certain types of books come sealed in plastic in bookstores…? Hmm. Good luck, Sai.

For those of you who see where this is heading, don't spoil it for those that don't. For those who don't get it and can't wait until the next chapter to know the punch line, wander around your local bookstore and see what novels/magazines/manga are usually sealed in plastic. The media format may differ but the theme is the same throughout. ::Laughs evilly::

Anyway, I finally have a picture up of the T-shirt that won my design contest last year for AX in California. I know, I know- it took forever but there were two reasons why I haven't done so before now:

1) Vanity (I am as photogenic as a ratty tennis shoe)

2) Didn't want to ruin the fantasy. (It sounds, well, blatantly retarded, but have you ever read a good story then looked at the author's picture on the dust cover for the first time and had all the wonder of that story sucked away as you think about _that_ person writing the story you just finished? Personally, it weirds me out and ruins the escapist episode I just had since it reminds me that the story isn't real, that the characters I have gone on this journey with have simply been made up by a very human mind. Obviously, the tale didn't just appear out of the ether and, though I know this, I really dislike being reminded of it. Stupid but true.)

Turns out that neither of those meant much since I had to crop the damn thing so many times, I had to cut my head off just to make sure the shirt was shown! You can see it here at .net/u/124420/More_Than_I_Appear if anyone is interested. Sadly, after going through the wash, the graphic was ruined and thus is no longer presentable for public viewing… At least I got four days out of it before this happened. Since, putting a graphic isn't as cheap as one would think (about $25 for the process plus cost of shirt), this year I am trying my hand at making my own designs to put on shirts via iron on transfers. If I am successful, I'll be wearing them around AX. So far, everything has a 'Scale' theme to it which isn't surprising since this is the only story I've been updating of late…

Anyway, see you at the convention everyone!


	9. Short Notice

**A/N: **Hearts and prayers to Japan during this time of tragedy. Thank you to everyone who reads and especially to those of you who review!

* * *

**Chapter 9: Short Notice**

**

* * *

**

Sasuke stood in the doorway of the closet and looked upward toward the shelf Naruto had mentioned before leaving. The distance between his position and goal seemed absurdly monumental considering that, if things were normal, this would not have been the seemingly daunting challenge it presented at that moment. As things stood though, the situation was far from normal and the tiny Uchiha had to fight to keep his emotions in check, to keep steadfastly looking up instead of looking to his right into the depths of Naruto's closet.

He would not look at the boxes. He didn't care what exactly Naruto had saved before the Uchiha estate was demolished and inwardly Sasuke cursed the blonde for telling him about the damn boxes' existence. Part of him would rather not have known because then he wouldn't have had to deal with the nagging sense of curiosity plaguing him. Disgusted, the brunet rubbed the right side of his neck in an effort to ease the tension in his muscles and abruptly stomped back toward the living room, Ami a large furry shadow following behind him.

Sasuke ignored her and scowled at nothing as he headed through the apartment and into the kitchen. He wanted a weapon and knowing that Naruto had kept them only made Sasuke want his sword even more. It wasn't that he resented the sedate spider following him around constantly; quite the contrary, actually, but the longer he was stuck in this tiny form, the less he felt in control and Sasuke hated feeling so helpless. He hadn't felt like this since the massacre and had never, ever wanted to experience that level of vulnerability again.

His hands itched for a weapon and he curled them into tight fists to stop the sensation, the skin between his shoulder blades tightening as tension filled his muscles. Feeling exposed, Sasuke looked up automatically and scanned his surroundings, searching for the threats his instincts warned him were present. Ami looked unbothered, patiently waiting for him to finish as she idly groomed her fangs, but, then again, what did he expect from a stupid spider? Sasuke felt himself sneer at the arachnid but his arrogance was quickly wiped away when she shoved him hard enough to knock him on his behind.

…_The hell? _Shock held him captive long enough for Ami to actually bop him on the head with her foreleg but then the Uchiha was on his feet, chasing after the spider as she shot past him toward the kitchen.

* * *

"Are you two fighting?"Sai stood in the apartment doorway and stared, his eyebrows high in his hairline as he ignored his wet state and the bags hanging at his sides as he watched the battle taking place not two feet from where he stood.

"No." Sasuke grunted, clearly struggling as he grappled with Ami.

The Uchiha's hands were occupied with keeping a strong grip on the spider's forelegs, using them to keep distance between his upper body and Ami's bared fangs. Despite the display, Sai could detect no malicious intent coming from Naruto's pet and so, after another cursory glance, the artist checked that the apartment door was locked and took his purchases into the kitchen.

"Are you hungry?" Sai asked when he was through restocking the refrigerator, the book he had purchased taking temporary residence on the counter. Traditionally, meals were a means of gathering numerous individuals with little in common together and facilitating a safe level of intimacy. Though he had yet to even unwrap his new book, Sai was determined to make a concentrated effort to bridge the, admittedly, wide gap between himself and the Uchiha and food seemed to be a safe means to do just that. "My culinary skills are limited but I should be able to make you something."

When he heard no answer, the artist grabbed a clean tea towel and began using it to dry his hair as he peeked into the other room to find that Sasuke had gained the upper hand in the fight and was now on Ami's back, using his limbs to incapacitate the spider's legs while he used his weight to pin her. Ami made a tap out motion and the brunet let her up, the two combatants taking positions in front of one another for another round.

Sai's eyebrows arched but he retreated silently into the kitchen again, opting to allow the Uchiha to continue training so long as Ami was a willing sparring partner.

Heading to the counter, he decided to get lunch ready. Even if Tsunade was keeping Naruto this long, it was unlikely that she would feed him and the blonde was sure to be foul tempered and absolutely ravenous by the time he was allowed to return home. Having food ready and waiting would be a way to solve both issues while helping to promote peace within the household among the three ninja within. With Sasuke and Ami training so aggressively, they too were going to need sustenance shortly and Sai began chopping up ingredients for stew, at the last minute adding de-boned chicken to the meal for additional protein. After fetching the appropriate cooking container, placing everything inside it, and setting it all to cook, the artist began cleaning up after himself, listening to the automatic garbage disposal hum gently as it shredded discarded vegetation.

Washing his hands, Sai frowned thoughtfully then moved to stir the pot one more time before leaving the room, carefully stepping over the fight in which Ami currently had the upper hand. Proceeding into the living room proper, the artist stopped at the bookshelf and hunted through the titles until he found the one he wanted, absently noting that he was leaving a trail of water behind him as he moved about. Making a mental note to wipe down the floors once he was done cooking, Sai dried his hands on his pants and pulled the book from its placement. As he turned to return to the kitchen, another title caught his eye and, on a whim, he pulled that one as well.

Once again stepping over the match and sparing a glance at the strange sight of Ami executing an impressive high kick to the Uchiha's jaw, Sai set the books on the counter next to his new one before returning to the stove to lower the heat and stir the stew. Now that lunch was out of danger of burning, he opened one of the books and began flipping pages until he found the section he wanted, then began making additions to the stew.

There was a soft grunt from behind him and, mindful of the small puddles covering the kitchen floor, Sai immediately headed toward the source, unsurprisingly finding Sasuke on the floor as Ami came to stand over him, one long leg probing gently at the Uchiha's chest.

"That is enough training for today." Sai said pleasantly, motioning Ami back as he squatted down beside the pair. Sasuke's breathing was stilted, proving that his ribs were still indeed bothering him, but he glared up at the artist defiantly. "Lunch is almost ready. Would you like to wash up beforehand?"

The Uchiha's mouth thinned down into firm line in response but other than that he did not move, prompting Sai to wonder if he could do so at all. Turning his head to the side, Sasuke waved him away, prompting the artist to frown.

"Naruto will be upset with me if you are injured when he returns." Sai said, standing to fetch a paper towel from the kitchen. Sasuke was still in the same position when he returned and Sai knelt again, smoothing the paper towel on the floor next to the Uchiha.

"What are you doing?" The tiny brunet asked, turning back to glare impatiently up at Sai, glancing at the towel with blatant distaste.

"I do not wish to cause you further harm when I move you." Sai said amiably, already using the thumb and forefinger of one hand to circle the Uchiha's ankles and working the forefinger of his other hand under the small protesting ninja's neck. Before Sasuke could move, the artist had lifted him just enough to get the other onto the towel then had grabbed the ends of the towel firmly in both hands, the artist lifting as he stood and headed into the kitchen.

"Don't do that again." Sasuke hissed, rising from the towel once Sai placed it on the counter top near the sink.

"I could not wait for you to move under your own power," Sai said, expression neutral as he returned to the stove to vigorously stir the stew. "Lunch was burning and it is hard enough to get Naruto to eat vegetables when cooked properly."

"Did the note say he'd be back soon?" Sasuke asked and Sai's years of ROOT training told the artist that the Uchiha was working very hard to appear nonchalant as he asked the seemingly innocuous question. Though his expression remained arrogant, the tiny ninja's posture was too tense where he stood near the sink and Sai wondered what Sasuke thought Sai knew that the Uchiha did not.

_Note?_ The artist outwardly appeared unsurprised but under the pretense of tending to the stew, Sai surreptitiously scanned the counter top for anything resembling a note. Once the artist had finally gotten the blonde to accept the idea, Naruto always left a note if he was not going to be at home when expected. The only problem with this was the jinchuuriki's sense of humor; Naruto had an irritating tendency to play hide-and-seek with any type of message he left behind and this was why Sai had designated the kitchen as the only place where Naruto could leave messages.

There was nothing resembling a note on the counter top and Sai turned the stove off before moving the stew to a cool burner. The refrigerator had held nothing either when the artist had been putting his groceries away so that meant that today Naruto had to have chosen a cabinet as his hiding place of choice and Sai inwardly groaned.

Ami touched his foot and the artist automatically reached down to offer his hand to the spider and lifted her up onto the counter top where she rubbed against his fingers once before heading over to take position next to Sasuke. Reaching him, she rubbed against him and, as he retrieved a bowl from the closest cabinet, Sai spared a brief glance at the cute display as Sasuke staggered in surprise at the forceful greeting. Hands occupied with fetching a second bowl, in his peripheral vision Sai watched Sasuke abruptly disappear and the artist immediately abandoned the bowl, trying to cover the distance between himself and the Uchiha as fast as possible, lunging sideways recklessly with both hands outstretched to grab whatever he could. The counter top connected painfully with Sai's side and ribs, but his fingers connected with a small limb and he grabbed it, yanking upward harshly until Sasuke reappeared, clearing the sink and the danger it held entirely. Relief over the successful rescue coursed through the artist briefly but was wiped away as Sai stepped wrong, his bare, wet feet slipping on the already wet floor, and the artist automatically brought his fist to his chest, curling his body around the tiny brunet in his grasp as he fell.

* * *

It was like being underwater, as if he were struggling against some vast boiling ocean that ebbed and flowed on a random schedule, buffeting him mercilessly under its dark depths. It drowned him and seared the flesh from his bones in an awful but familiar manner, conjuring random memories of Sai hovering over him in a room Naruto didn't immediately recognize. In the rare moments he would surface from this terrible sea, he would hallucinate and reach out to grab hold of some imaginary person before being pulled under to suffer again as the burning agony pummeled him into so much raw meat.

* * *

_Nothing happened._

_Dumfounded, Sasuke's eyes darted around the room looking for any sort of threat that may have been summoned. _

"_Well that's no fun…" Orochimaru did nothing to disguise his disappointment over this fact and Sasuke was torn between the twin desires to put his own head through a wall or walk over and strangle the Sannin. Or scream- screaming was always a good option. As it was, the Uchiha's body was perilously close to having a seizure as he twitched with the desire to do both at once, his eyebrow threatening to jerk right off his head as his hands spasmed at his sides._

"_Perhaps it has a delayed onset?" Kabuto offered, rubbing the Sannin's slumped shoulders consolingly. "We may yet see a hideous, murderous breast appear! Wouldn't that be pleasant?"_

_Orochimaru's head bobbed slowly and Kabuto made a disapproving sound low in his throat, quietly chiding the considerably older male before continuing in his attempts to cheer the Sannin up, verbally painting an incredibly gruesome image that involved feeding some poor idiot to a frightening creature Sasuke never wanted to meet. _

_Now that the danger had passed, the teenager was angry that he had allowed himself to get so worked up over what had amounted to nothing, even if it wasn't without provocation. Scowling at nothing and everything in general, Sasuke rolled his neck to loosen the tight muscles and listening to the vertebrae pop, the sound oddly loud in the quiet room. _

_Feeling claustrophobic, he turned around and grasped the door handle to leave when arms wrapped around his waist, lifting his skyward._

"_I'm so sorry, Sasuke-kun!" Orochimaru groveled, burying his head against the Uchiha's hair. "I know you were looking forward to it!"_

Like a hole in my head._ Sasuke thought irritably, attempting to reign in the impulse to stab the Sannin and remain calm. Orochimaru continued to cuddle against him and, after several seconds, Kabuto wandered over to join in the pair, hugging Sasuke from the front and sandwiching the Uchiha between them. _

_Why in God's name had he come to this den of insanity?_

Let me go._ The words were right there on his tongue, waiting to come forth, but, though his anger simmered like heat in his chest, Sasuke couldn't seem to say them. He kept being distracted by the warmth soaking into his skin from the other two, the pressing weight of them against him. By all rights, he should have been pulling hair and screaming threats and hacking at their limbs until he was free but…_

_But…_

_The heat and the weight of another body, the firmness with which they held him prisoner within their cage of flesh, sheltering him and protecting him while crushing him at the same time. It reminded him of another person._

_It reminded him of Naruto._

Disoriented, Sasuke opened his eyes slowly then blinked rapidly in alarm as he tried to free himself of the heavy warm weight trapping him flat against an equally warm surface. Realizing that it was a hand pinning him against a chest, the Uchiha looked up to check the identity of his captor, disappointment flashing through him as he recognized the underside of Sai's pale jaw line.

"Sai," Sasuke allowed his voice to show the irritation he felt. "Move your hand!" Annoyed by the artist's lack of response, the tiny ninja rolled carefully onto his stomach and began crawling out from under Sai's fingers. Once he had cleared the trap, Sasuke stood up, checking himself for injuries caused by either the prior rough handling or his fall into the sink that had made the dimwitted artist overreact.

"Sai!" The Uchiha called, making sure to drive his small heels into the former ROOT member's chest as he stomped to the other's head. It felt weird to call someone he barely knew by their first name since it implied an intimacy that neither shared but, Sasuke decided upon further consideration, 'Dobe number 2' simply wasn't going to cut it as a nickname for Sai. No, Sasuke was going to have to get creative if he wanted to find something suitably irritating to call the intruder, something that would annoy the artist to the Uchiha's satisfaction but wouldn't make Naruto too upset. "How long are you going to sleep…"

The tiny brunet reached Sai's shoulder and stopped, paling.

_Fuck!_ Head wounds always bled a lot but, even though he knew this, Sasuke still felt a little flutter of panic in his gut as he watched the steady flow Ami was valiantly attempting to stem with a wad of silk she pressed against the gash. Grabbing hold of the artist's lips, the Uchiha began yanking and yelling, cursing belligerently and loudly until Sai's eyelids began to flutter. Relaxing marginally, the little ninja released his hold and moved backward to stand squarely on the other's chest as Sai blinked slowly.

Then, as if someone had flipped a switch inside him, the artist sat straight up without warning, causing the Uchiha to tumble roughly into Sai's lap.

_A little warning would have been nice!_ Sasuke mentally grumped as he struggled into a sitting position, frowning irritably up at the larger brunet as Sai put a hand to his head, smearing the crimson flow messily. For his part, the artist seemed vaguely puzzled as he frowned, looking at his hand curiously as if wondering why on earth he was bleeding, and Sasuke clapped his hands sharply to gain Sai's distracted attention.

Sasuke may not like Sai but the artist was Naruto's friend; if he died, the blonde would be sad and that was the last thing Sasuke wanted.

"You slipped and hit your head." The Uchiha explained slowly after making sure that the other was listening. Thinking furiously, Sasuke tried to remember the danger signs of head injuries. Sai was a ninja and ninjas by definition were trained to be harder to kill than the average individual but that didn't mean they were invulnerable to the dangers everyday mundane life could produce. The only ninja in the village who could be deemed an exception to this rule was Naruto but only because he had an incredibly thick skull. "Do you feel nauseous? Can you see straight?"

"I…" Sai blinked, his gaze sharpening on the Uchiha. "My vision is fine and I do not feel ill. I do have an awful headache, though."

Apparently Sai had a thick skull, too. Figured. Resisting the urge to snort in irritation, Sasuke jumped to the floor and walked until he stood by Ami, out of danger of the artist's limbs. "Whatever. Get an aspirin after you clean up that cut. Try not to bleed all over the place on your way to the bathroom."

Sai's eyes, as dark as the Uchiha's own but as unfeeling as a doll's, roved over him slowly and Sasuke stiffened, glaring challenging up at the other as the artist continued to look him over from head to toe. The level of intensity made the tiny ninja's skin itch and Sasuke had to fight the urge to move from his spot or glance away, unsure as to why it was so bothering beyond the fact that it felt as if Sai were assessing how much trouble it would be to dispose of the Uchiha.

_This is what a bird being stared down by a snake feels like. _A thrill of fear flowed through Sasuke and he had to work hard to keep his face blank as his heart began hammering in his chest, his instincts warning him to get away from Sai until then the artist blinked and looked away, gripping the countertop with one hand as he gathered himself to stand. Moving with cautious slowness, Sai stood, checked his balance and left the kitchen, and Sasuke, heart still hammering, automatically watched the threat leave, taking careful note of the other's gait until Sai disappeared into the bathroom.

Uchihas did not cower in fear. They did not allow others to affect them to the point of incoherence. Uchihas were proud and strong, scoffing at the petty worries that plagued other ninja. They were the kings, the elite of the elite, and kings did not run, did not back down, and certainly did not get upset _just because someone stared at them!_

Attempting to salvage his dignity, the Uchiha unlocked his knees, took a shuddering breath, and stood straight only to have his efforts undermined as he began shivering uncontrollably despite his efforts to remain unaffected. Ami leaned against him, steadying him, and he placed a trembling hand on her back, concentrating on the texture of the small coarse hairs there against his skin. The fear Sai had ignited wouldn't go away however and, in a distinctly un-Uchiha like manner, Sasuke began putting more of himself in contact with Ami, clinging to her instinctively, thankful that she could not speak or question his behavior. He couldn't explain his sudden uncharacteristic actions, not even to himself, and Sasuke cursed Naruto for leaving him behind, especially so when Ami forcibly wriggled free from the Uchiha's grasp. Sasuke did not make a grab for her- he _**didn't**_- but he hated the sudden feeling of abandonment her departure invoked.

Resolutely, the Uchiha mentally gathered himself and curled his hands into tight fists as he concentrated on his breathing, silently counting down from ten as he mentally berated himself all the while. Sai had stared at him, fine, and? Was that really something to get upset over? Lots of people had stared at him over the years, especially so after the massacre, and it was something he had learned to ignore. The stares of admiration, of lust, of jealousy, of pity- they were but gnats buzzing at his ear, vying for his attention, and Sasuke had never had a problem ignoring them before. Now, though, he seemed unable to do so, as if being shrunk had somehow stripped him of all his careful shielding, leaving him naked and vulnerable and desperate for some sort of reassurance like a pathetic weak child.

Sasuke frowned and glared hard at the floor until he finally succeeded in getting his emotions under control. Listening intently, the Uchiha waited another few seconds before stomping down the hallway into the bedroom.

Even if it took him all day, Sasuke was going to be armed, damn it.

* * *

"Naruto-kun?" Though he reacted immediately to the sudden verbal assault, it took a long time for the jinchuuriki's brain to process the fact that someone was calling his name and not, in fact, torturing him. When the message finally did get through he struggled to open his eyes, blinking weakly in an effort to rid himself of the gritty, sticky feeling coating his eyelids.

"Hello Naruto-kun," Shizune greeted him, smiling down at him. Her voice was soft and low but Naruto felt as if she were stabbing needles through his ear drums, the shockwaves of pain wracking across his skull and making his eyes begin to roll into the back of his head before he could even tell her to stop. She seemed to sense that she was causing him pain and thankfully remained silent as he fought the battle to remain conscious. Several minutes crept by but Shizune waited patiently until he nodded wearily for her to speak, the blonde visibly bracing.

"The hard part's over now and all that's left is for you to rest up for your mission." Shizune whispered, smiling gently as he sighed and relaxed. The amused expression she wore made the bags under her eyes stand out as she sat heavily in the chair next to his bed. The vague thought that she looked tired eventually penetrated his mind but Naruto couldn't scrape up enough empathy to really care.

She looked at him expectantly and Naruto merely blinked at her slowly as he tried to remember both why he was there and what mission he was supposed to go on afterward. He felt so tired though, just completely ill with exhaustion, that concentration was beyond him and the details kept slithering away before he could mentally grasp them.

"This is going to make you feel a lot better." He felt rather than saw Shizune's hand encircle his upper arm gently and seconds later a sharp stab of pain from the sensitive skin lining the bend of his elbow let him know that she had injected something into the IV port there. "In a little bit you'll feel right as rain."

Naruto nodded to show that he had heard her but doubted that any medicine she gave him would ever make him feel anywhere near 'right' again and his mind mercifully shut down, succumbing to whatever Shizune had given him.

* * *

"Sasuke-kun? Ami?" Sai called again, carefully checking under the sofa again before deciding to concede to their apparent demands for privacy. He had returned from the bathroom to find both the kitchen and living room empty with no clues as to where the pair may have gone. A check of the apartment revealed nothing helpful other than there was no evidence that foul play had occurred, a fact that had made Sai's heart feel lighter while simultaneously increasing his irritation. If the Uchiha wanted to hide then so be it- the artist already had a multitude of tasks on his hands that needed his attention.

Another search of the kitchen provided no further information regarding Naruto's whereabouts- if the blonde had left behind a note, Sai could not find it no matter how diligently he searched and inwardly the artist grew annoyed that his jinchuuriki friend refused to simply leave the damn things on the counter like everyone else. After collecting the laundry, sorting it, and setting it to wash in the small washer Naruto owned, the artist seated himself on the lone chair at Naruto's table and pulled out his sewing materials to begin arranging them on the scarred and worn wood in front of him. When he was satisfied, Sai began pulling items from the shopping bag he had loaded with paraphernalia from Naruto's room, adding them to the table as well so that he would easily be able to switch from one task to another.

Picking up one of the ANBU dolls the blonde had purchased, Sai stripped it of its mask and clothing. Setting those aside, the artist then picked up a narrow brush, dipped the bristles in paint thinner and began carefully erasing the painted face already decorating the plastic. Thankfully it and the rest of the dolls Naruto had purchased were in exact proportion to Sasuke, all even having dark spiky hair, so that Sai would only have to do minimal work to alter it enough to look like the Uchiha in the hopes that it would be enough to fool Sakura or anyone else who handled them after the artist was done. Once the doll's face had been completely obliterated, Sai set it aside and picked up another doll from the bag, giving it the same treatment, continuing until every one of them was lined up in front of him with only a blank space where a face should have been.

While he waited for them to thoroughly dry, the artist picked up his sewing supplies and pulled the cloth he had purchased closer to his side, unrolling the fabric to check for flaws in the threads before cutting. Soon the only sounds in the room aside from the rain outside were the subtle snip-snip of Sai's shears followed by the near silent slip of thread being pulled through cloth as he created suitable clothing for Sasuke, the artist settling quickly into the oddly soothing pattern.

Before he realized it, the morning had faded into late afternoon and on the table before Sai sat a row of six doppelgangers all exactly like the Uchiha with the exception of their faces as well as several new outfits including an ANBU uniform for Sasuke to try on once he revealed himself. Standing, Sai listened to the muffled pop of his bones realigning after being stationary for so long and glanced at clock on the kitchen wall, frowning both at the late hour and Naruto's continued absence.

"Sasuke-kun? Did Naruto tell you when he was coming home?" The artist asked, irritation welling up as he walked further into the apartment, careful to keep an eye out for the tiny ninja. Peeking into the bathroom revealed that it was empty though the sink's basin was wet, proving that it had been used relatively recently. The Uchiha must have taken considerable care to be stealthy if he had had a bath without Sai noticing and, for a moment, the artist wondered how on earth Sasuke had been able to cover the distance between the floor and the sink.

"Ami-chan, huh?" He murmured, gently plucking at the delicate silk strands coating the wall with his finger. "Another pack mate then?"

Sai was not sure how he felt about this possibility as he turned off the light and left the bathroom, by-passing the hall closet in favor of the bedroom.

"Sasuke-kun," He called again softly, entering Naruto's room with care. Sweeping his gaze over the floor critically, Sai stepped lightly as he approached the bed and knelt beside it, peeking cautiously at the space underneath. "I require your assistance with a project…"

There was nothing under the bed, nor was there any sign of the Uchiha anywhere else in the bedroom when Sai searched. Annoyed, the artist left the room and retraced his steps, this time stopping to search the hall closet before returning to the kitchen.

"Hn." Sasuke greeted him, the Uchiha blending in easily with his lifeless doppelgangers as he walked around the table.

Sai felt his eyebrow twitch and his hands curl into fists before he could stop it, having to pause as he smothered his frustration. "It is significantly past lunch. Are you hungry?"

"Hn." Came the reply and, because Sai was not fluent in 'Sasuke,' the artist had no idea whether this was an affirmative or not.

"Is that a yes or a no?" Sai queried, his voice taking on an edge as he fought to remain calm. How did Naruto put up with the traitor's obnoxious attitude so effortlessly? It was a mystery Sai didn't have an answer to and the more contact he had with Sasuke, the more the artist wanted to simply slap the life out of him.

Sai refused to say that he was failing but he was admittedly not succeeding in fulfilling Naruto's request that the pair get along in the blonde's absence. Making friends had never been Sai's strong suit but perhaps he could overcome it with a bit more reading suited to this particular situation. Without another word, the artist headed into the kitchen for information and, after debating between the two books on the counter, Sai picked up the smaller of the pair before returning to the table, nimbly dodging the barrage of little plastic swords being thrown at him.

"'_The Care and Feeding of Small Animals_?'" Sasuke hissed, expression a cross between horror and outrage as he glared up at Sai. "What the hell, dumbass!"

The artist blinked and cocked his head as he watched the Uchiha fume. "Given the circumstances, I thought it appropriate."

"**Appropriate?**" Impossibly, Sasuke's glare intensified even more, to the point that Sai half expected the wood of the door behind the artist to burst into flames and, for the first time, Sai was acutely glad that the Uchiha had no chakra to use. As he watched, Sasuke's pale face and neck flushed dark red, his hands balling into fists, his entire frame shaking to the point that Sai began to wonder if the traitor was in danger of exploding.

Frowning, Sai consulted the index of the book, hunting for any mention of impending mammal self-ignition and how to prevent it but the sound of the front door of the dollhouse slamming shut drew the artist's attention back to the now empty table.

* * *

"How's he doing?" Tsunade stood outside the sealed room she had placed Naruto in hours ago, her left hand resting lightly against the door to turn its opaque color clear enough to see through to the contents beyond. On the bed, Naruto was still and silent except for his chest moving regularly to breathe and the blonde woman's eyes automatically sought out the monitors he was connected to for reassurance that all was well.

He'd only been in there for a few hours regular time but it felt like an eternity for the Godaime and she leaned forward gently until her forehead rested lightly against the door.

"From the reports I've received from my clone," Shizune began quietly, standing beside the Hokage and shifting her eyes from the room to look at the papers in her hands. "The trembling has stopped and his blood pressure is back within an acceptable range. The systemic influence of the Kyuubi's chakra has lessened but he's been demonstrating an extreme reaction to stimuli, almost as if all five senses are in overload, and I've had to give him a mild sedative to be able to treat him."

"A double edge sword, huh?" Tsunade murmured, watching her assistant's clone go about its duties inside the barrier, the actions blurred and indistinct due to the rapid acceleration of the activated jutsu. The Godaime knew that Shizune, and by extension her clone, was a competent medic but Tsunade couldn't help but wonder if Naruto would have been recovering better if he had been directly under the buxom blonde's care instead.

"Lying and using a forbidden jutsu," Shizune chided her mentor gently as she looked up at Tsunade, her expression unabashedly disapproving. "Such behavior is unbecoming of a Hokage."

"Not 'lie,' Shizune, mislead." Tsunade snapped waspishly, annoyed that her actions were being questioned. Feeling defensive, the Godaime turned to face her assistant squarely, folding her arms and glaring. "And using that jutsu was necessary- even with the Kyuubi's healing ability, doing this would put Naruto out of commission for weeks under normal circumstances. There was no other way to allow him the necessary recovery time and start his mission in time without it."

Shizune looked down, giving ground in the argument as a long, tense silence settled between them.

"Do you think it will be enough?" The brunet asked eventually, her voice quiet and subdued.

"No." The blonde replied just as quiet, just as subdued. "No, I don't, which is why I am making him a care package. How are the arrangements with his clothing going?"

Shizune consulted her notes before answering. "His formal attire is almost finished and the… leisure… clothing is both complete and scheduled to be delivered to your office tomorrow morning."

Tsunade nodded absently and pinched the bridge of her nose as a mild headache formed, the weight of her pact with Naruto settling heavily upon her shoulders at long last. The brat was living up to his end of the bargain and, though she had already taken preliminary steps, she could no longer dance around the main condition that the teenager had argued for.

"Summon Kakashi and Shikamaru for me." Tsunade ordered as she put a hand on her assistant's shoulder, squeezing the rounded flesh affectionately. "Then go get some sleep in my room. I have a lot of work to do if I don't want to fail my gaki."

She pulled her hand from the door and immediately the section of wall faded to gray with no outward indication that it was anything other than part of the hallway. Originally, as Tsunade had found out upon becoming the Godaime, this room had been Naruto's for the first year after his birth and the seals engraved in the walls had been made at the council's behest after the Yondaime's son became the Kyuubi's vessel. The political climate at the time had been one of fear and grief and anger, all of which only grew once the Forth Hokage passed away and Konoha's elders, not knowing anything about the intricate seal Minato had used on his son, had ordered the child confined in a place where the damage would be mitigated if the binding failed. A little tweaking, however, had turned what was probably one of many oubliettes throughout Konoha into the perfect place to conceal activities that otherwise would draw unwanted attention since it would hide and maintain a jutsu taking place inside.

Pressing her lips together tightly, Tsunade put her hands together and cast an alarm jutsu over the doorway to alert her if anyone came too close to Naruto's hiding place. The jutsu was subtle and effective, the chakra powering it would be too minor an amount for most ninja to sense thus ensuring that the alarm itself would not give away what Tsunade desired to protect, and the Godaime sighed gently, frustrated that this was all that she could do. Thankfully, Naruto would only be in there for another hour or so then would be on his way to Claw Country to play marriage counselor to the prince and princess as the two royal families were adamantly- and loudly- requesting.

Their shoes clicked sharply against the concrete as the pair left the lowest underground level of the hospital and, using the single stone stairway that accessed this area, began the laborious climb upward to street level.

* * *

"Sasuke-kun, it is important that the measurements are correct." Sai said, his usual unflappable patience being severely tested. "Please try it on and tell me if you are able to move freely."

From the kitchen table, the Uchiha stared up at him with a superior expression and, despite their vast differences in size, the obstinate traitor still managed to look down his nose at the artist. "I have better things to do than play dress up with you, Replacement."

Thus far, Sai's attempts to 'make friends' had failed spectacularly and, beyond his initial greeting, the artist had seen very little of the traitor as Sai had puttered about the apartment. The diminutive ninja had refused to eat with him and had consented to dine only after Sai left the room to put the laundry in the dryer. Returning, the artist had tried to engage Sasuke in idle conversation but that had become a monologue immediately since the traitor ignored his inquiries. Sasuke studiously rebuffed the former ROOT member at every turn and Sai was quickly running out of tactics with which to court the Uchiha's good side with.

Of course, that was assuming that Sasuke had a 'good side,' a likelihood that Sai found less and less possible as time wore on.

Frowning, he tried again. "If I am going to make you suitable clothing, it would behoove you to try on the first attempts of each outfit both for fitting purposes and for fabric compatibility."

The Uchiha toed the heap of fabric in front of him, his lip curling in obvious disdain. "Naruto already bought me clothes."

"We both know that they are inappropriate for you, Sasuke-kun."Sai retorted flatly.

Sasuke glared up at him, lips turning down in a small defiant frown.

"Even if you could move freely, you cannot go outside in such clothing. To do so would put you at risk for exposure and becoming ill." Sai explained reasonably. "They are fine for a protected environment such as an apartment where the climate is controllable but anything beyond such an area would only render you useless-"

"Useless? **Useless?**" The traitor repeated, voice rising sharply. Sasuke's dark eyes blazed up at Sai and for a second, the artist thought he saw them flash a familiar Sharingan red. The artist watched as the muscles in Sasuke's jaw bunched with tension, his tiny body suddenly taunt as his hands balled at his sides."_I'm_ useless?"

Sai had inadvertently stepped on what Naruto quietly referred to as a conversational landmine and the artist licked his lips, conversationally back-peddling in the hopes of salvaging the situation. "I said that being improperly dressed could render you useless…"

But it was too late. Sasuke was already too angry to listen to anything Sai said, almost abnormally so, and as the Uchiha stalked away into the dollhouse, slamming the front door behind him, the artist wondered if perhaps the fear that Sasuke was and would be useless from now on had already taken deep root within the traitor's heart.

* * *

Naruto woke with a jerk to the sound of the Kyuubi growling angrily and, though the soft lighting in the room hurt his eyes, the blonde forced the lids open so that he could look at his arms, finding several tubes in each one. This discovery was mildly alarming but much more so was the multitude of machines surrounding his bed, all of which were connected to him via the aforementioned tubing, presumably processing the liquid contained in the colorful thread-like containers. Speaking of which, he could understand the familiar thinner clear tubing used for delivering medicines but the thicker, red hued tubes baffled him and he stared at them until his eyelids began to droop and his head started to nod forward.

"Are you in pain?" Shizune eased his head back against the pillow behind him, putting his face directly under the light illuminating the area and the blonde shut his eyes tightly in an effort to shut out the harsh glare. It didn't work, though; the light seemed to stab through his eyelids like kunai, making him twitch and toss as he tried to make the sensation stop, remembering at the last moment not to move his arms. With great effort, Naruto worked moisture into his mouth and spoke.

"Light." He croaked hoarsely, feeling if his eyes were bleeding. "Off!"

Naruto heard the click but, though the pain lessened marginally, it did not stop. Instead it spread in a slow burn from his eye sockets into his skull and down his spine to radiate out into every nerve, making his limbs throb and ache. Even worse, now that one sense had been stimulated, it was as if the remaining ones had awoken, translating everything into echoing signals of pain. Every beep and hiss of the machines hurt. His skin felt raw from the loose press of fabric of his clothing. The patina of scents in his room burned his nose and seared a path straight down his throat, the air tasting sour and bitter as he swallowed thickly, his lungs heaving.

"Naruto-kun, you have to stay still." Shizune reminded him gently, attempting to sooth him by placing her hand atop his clenched fist. It made his hair stand on end and even that was painfully because he could feel each individual strand as they rose all along his arm and scalp. Words beyond him, he moaned lowly in an attempt to warn her away but the sound only brought more pain as she continued to touch him, petting his hair. Naruto could feel a scream building in his throat and he clenched his teeth, baring them at the Godaime's assistant as he sucked air through them, becoming more agitated and it was while he was squirming on the bed that Naruto abruptly discovered that he was shackled to the frame.

Shizune continued to talk to him but it was just sound without any meaning other than pain and Naruto had to fight to think beyond the constant agony, beyond the enraged growling of the Kyuubi in its cage. The memory refused to become clear but he knew he had been through this before except what had he done at that time? He'd been incapacitated and vulnerable but he'd made it through… somehow… What had he done? Naruto was certain that restraints hadn't been part of it but he had had something …no, not an item… He'd had Sai- Sai had found him, helped him, hidden him to keep the mission going and they'd had a code word for if a similar situation ever cropped up again.

"Turtle!" He yelled at her, arching and kicking, clawing at the bed and through the mattress, was the sensation of pressure building inside his stomach and chest, adding to the agony already present. Naruto felt the sound of tortured metal grate against his eardrum before the bed began to list ominously. "Turtle! Turtle! Turtle! Turtleturtleturtleturtle_TURTLE_!"

_Sai!_ He needed Sai. Sai would understand what he wanted, what he needed! With a scream, the metal gave way, spilling Naruto to the floor with a crash, one of the restraints tearing with a thick sound, and the blonde clawed at both the remaining one and the tubing until he was free, mind chaotic and frantic as the pressure inside him built and built until it felt as if he were bleeding from every pore, his chakra swirling wildly around him. It engulfed him, surrounding him, blurring the room around him until it vanished completely in a red ruin.

* * *

Sai frowned at the large spider wedged firmly in the doorway of the doll house and wondered if it were angry with him for upsetting the sulking Uchiha. Ami had taken a protective position not long after the two ninjas loud exchange, easily pushing the miniature door out of her way then backing into the opening and settling inside it to watch Sai as the artist sewed Sasuke's new clothing. Even when the former ROOT member finished his task and took on a new one, the spider did not move, merely watched him silently.

Naruto had told him that he often talked to Ami during times when she displayed similar behavior and that it had a calming effect on the animal. Sai, however, failed to see how since spiders did not actually hear as humans did but sensed vibrations through its legs instead. It was why both Naruto and Sai had taken to stomping a foot in specific patterns outside the apartment, to let Ami know in advance that they were home and that they were friendly.

Desert Lion spiders were pack animals by nature and that instinctive behavior could be used to a ninja's benefit but only if training was done very early on to acclimate the animals to the distinctive scents of their intended humanoid pack since anything non-pack was considered food or a threat. Gaara had placed one of Naruto's unwashed shirts in Ami's cage when she was a spiderling to get her familiar with the blonde and the jinchurriki had accidentally used a similar method to get her used to Sai since, after missions, Naruto usually smelled like the other male to some degree. Because Ami had used Naruto's closet as a nesting ground she had become accustomed to the Uchiha's smell which was probably why the deadly arachnid hadn't attacked and killed him the moment he broke into Naruto's apartment.

Feeling foolish and rather frustrated, Sai put aside the doll he was examining, placed his hand palm down on the table, and began channeling a small amount of chakra into it. "Ami, would you like some chakra?"

A window on the second floor of the doll house opened as Sasuke, expression arrogant, looked out at Sai. The artist expected a verbal inquiry to follow but none came though the silent Uchiha did stay in the window, watching as Ami sidled slowly over to Sai until she was within range of his offered hand.

"No biting, please." The artist requested as Ami's large fangs ghosted over the flesh of his finger, instinctively looking for breaks or soft areas. Though their inch long fangs were strong enough to pierce animal hide, Desert Lions were not above searching out and exploiting preexisting weaknesses in their prey and Sai fought to hold still to avoid startling her as she shifted around to press her mouth directly against his unbroken skin, feeding.

"She eats chakra?"

Sai glanced briefly in the traitor's direction before returning his attention to the spider. "Yes, it is what makes them so deadly. Their venom damages not only the muscular and nervous systems but also the chakra pathways of the body. To a ninja, they are the biggest threat when out in the desert."

Sasuke made a rude noise. "To an incompetent ninja, you mean."

"No." Sai said calmly, suddenly very tired of talking to the Uchiha and the diminutive ninja's superior attitude. Naruto put up with it on a constant basis and the artist seriously began to wonder if exposure to such negativity could be toxic in the long run. Using his free hand, he tapped the scarred wood of the table with a knuckle near Ami and began to gently pull his finger away from her mouth until she reluctantly let go. Sai watched in mild amusement as she used her front legs to thoroughly groom her face and fangs, the spider stretching languidly before turning back to the doll house.

She was halfway there before she abruptly turned around and barreled back to the artist at a run, skidding to a stop just in front of where Sai sat, reaching to pick up another faux Sasuke doll.

"Yes?" The former ROOT member asked, eyebrows arching as the spider lifted a front leg and gestured for him to come down. Warily, Sai moved his hands and complied until his chin was nearly on the table, fighting his training and forcing himself to hold still as Ami arched herself against his cheek and rubbed against him like an enthusiastic kitten.

"You are welcome for the meal." He said, carefully running his fingers over his cheek and checking to see if Ami had inadvertently left any irrigating hairs behind. Finding none, the artist picked up his paintbrush from where he had placed it, dipped the bristles into his small container of paint thinner and, after wiping the excess from the brush's tip, Sai began carefully applying a base coat to the ANBU doll's face. Once he was done priming the plastic, the jaw structure would have to be reshaped slightly before Sai could paint but that wouldn't be much of a problem for the artist.

No, the problem lay in how to get Sasuke to hold still long enough so that the artist could accurately recreate the Uchiha's facial structure and, as if sensing that Sai was about to speak, the traitor disappeared back into his small home, closing the window behind him.

The sound of something breaking pulled Sai's gaze away from the Uchiha's window and the artist stared in confusion at the broken doll now laying in his grip, the small plastic head compressed vertically between his fingers, the less malleable body in multiple pieces across his palm. Sai blinked at the mess slowly, comprehension eventually dawning, and, irritated by his lack of self control, the former ROOT ninja began putting his tools away. Though he was confident in his artistic abilities, Sai knew that to continue now would be a mistake and would only lead to a considerably higher workload later.

When the table was once again clear of everything except the dollhouse, Sai pushed his chair away and rose, sparing a minute to push the seat back into place before he went into the kitchen to fetch a glass of water. A break was in order, preferably one spent far away from the Uchiha, and with relaxation in mind, Sai unwrapped 'Deep Love,' carrying it, his drink, and all of the Uchiha-related paraphernalia through the apartment to Naruto's bedroom.

After the doppelgangers and clothing had been safely away hidden in the Naruto's closet, Sai settled himself on the bed and began reading, relaxing as the story unfolded, smiling as he identified familiar personality quirks in each character that mirrored the ones Sai associated with himself, Naruto and Sasuke. Yes, Sai congratulated himself as he took a drink of his water and turned the page, this would be an excellent source of information about how to interact with the Uchiha…

…_!_ Sai's train of thought didn't just derail as he stared at the illustrations- it went off a cliff and twisted violently in on itself before bursting into flames. Choking on his drink, his confusion mounting, Sai's jaw dropped as the scenes became more and more sexually explicit, the artist unable to look away as an unfamiliar and unwanted sense of excitement raced through his system. This…this was not what Sai had had in mind at all when considering the best way to cultivate an amicable relationship with Sasuke although…that…would be one way to shut the Uchiha up. The artist tilted his head as he turned the page, dark eyes taking in the reaction of the traitor lookalike to one specific action preformed by another character, contemplating it thoughtfully.

"Are you reading _**PORN**__?_!" Sai jumped at the accusation, dark eyes darting down to the foot of the bed where the traitorous Uchiha stood, expression one of disgust as he marched up the bed like some sort of guardian of morality. "Why are you reading PORN on Naruto's bed? Do that at home, pervert, not in someone else's house!"

As Sasuke jumped onto the artist's chest and stood glaring furiously at him, Sai decided that he had finally reached the end of his patience with the Uchiha.

Ignoring Sasuke's squawk of outrage, the former ROOT member began, thumbing back through the pages of his manga until he found a suitable scene and displayed it for the tiny ninja to see, satisfaction coursing through Sai as the Uchiha stopped dead in his tracks, jaw dropping as the blush that swept across his pale features spread all the way to the tips of his ears.

The impending outraged tirade that undoubtedly would have followed was eclipsed by the odd pop of displaced air and a crash from the living room joined by the unmistakable howl of someone in agony. Sai knew that voice, knew what it meant, and, before he was consciously aware of it, he was throwing himself off the bed, the Uchiha clutched to his chest as Sai rolled under the bed to narrowly avoid the surge of chakra that ripped through the air overhead, splitting into streams that lashed like the tails of an angry beast.

Or, more specifically, like the tails of a certain nine tailed fox and Sai inwardly cursed as he curled his body more tightly around Sasuke. However inadvertently it had happened, someone had let the Kyuubi out of its cage and now it was loose-

He barely had time to push the Uchiha away deeper under the bed before something burning hot wrapped around Sai's ankle, yanking him roughly out from under the bed, and knocking the breath from his lungs as it hurled him into the closet in an explosion of splintering wood. Back a fiery mass of pain as he gasped for air, Sai could only watch as the blonde advanced on him, startling when the Kyuubi, looking out from Naruto's eyes, knelt in front of him and spoke in a heavily accented voice.

"Make it stop." Chakra steaming off the tan skin in hot clouds and burning the artist's skin when they came into contact, the Kyuubi grabbed Sai by the collar and hauled him forward until they were nearly nose to nose. "Make. It. **Stop.**"

"Let him go!" Sasuke demanded from somewhere behind the blonde and Sai blinked, pride twinging over the face that he was being rescued by a six inch tall traitor.

Kyuubi shoved Sai away and turned fully to face the Uchiha, slowly stalking the small ninja on hands and knees around the room, the movements so predatory- so natural despite Naruto's human body not being constructed for it- that it raised the hairs on the back of Sai's neck. Sasuke had a sword held firmly in his grasp as he maneuvered to keep distance between them, but the weapon was doubtful that it would prove much of a deterrent considering the intensity of attention the fox was giving him.

"Quite the jutsu on you, little Uchiha." Kyuubi purred, rolling the consonants in a way that Naruto never did as it backed Sasuke toward Sai. "Forbidden for a reason."

Once he could do so, the artist snatched out to grab the little traitor, pulling him out of the Kyuubi's immediate range, Sai's gaze never leaving the dangerous blonde. "What do you know about it?"

"Won't reverse on its own no matter how long you wait." Kyuubi murmured, sitting back on its knees, tilting its head at the pair and looking thoughtful, the chakra in the air starting to dissipate. "Need a key to undo."

"And you have that key." Sasuke said flatly before Sai could, practically vibrating with tension in Sai's hands. "What do you want for it?"

Instead of verbally answering, Kyuubi moved, the demon closing the nearly three feet separating them in the fraction of a second, a liquid-fast movement that was beyond impressive. The blonde was just suddenly in Sai's lap pressing flush against the artist's body as he captured Sai's head in his hands, keeping the artist still as the blonde pressed his mouth against the other's. Hot and insistent against Sai's, Naruto's lips and teeth worked with dedicated fervor, forcing the former ROOT member to either open his mouth willingly or have his lips cut up as it was taken by force.

Something foreign and warm stirred inside Sai's lower body, sending a thrill of aroused excitement so strong through his frame that Sai's fingers tingled as they tangled in Naruto's clothing, pulling the other closer in a desperate bid for more contact. Surging forward spurred a struggle for dominance, and suddenly Sai found himself in the role of the aggressor, forcing Naruto back against the floor, the blonde making wonderful little sounds that had a direct line from Sai's ears straight to his groin.

There was a sound from behind them, an almost pained whimper, and with a gasp Sai tore his mouth from the blonde, panting heavily as his eyes landed on Sasuke, the Uchiha's expression stony but his eyes full of emotion. Sai had wondered long and hard if the little bastard could care for another and now he had the answer to his question, the sight like a bucket of cold water poured over the artist's head. Embarrassed, Sai backed off the blonde and kneeled, working hard to get himself back under control as he looked away, cheeks hot and pants too tight.

Naruto- no, Kyuubi because it was the demon in control not Sai's friend- sat up, face flushed and expression amused, crimson eyes roving over the artist then drifting to where Sasuke had been left standing on the broken remains of the closet door. Performing another one of those lightning fast moves, the blonde was abruptly in front of the small ninja, large tan hands disarming him easily before capturing Sasuke with minor effort and placing a kiss lightly on the struggling Uchiha's head. It made the other freeze and Kyuubi took full advantage, pulling Sasuke's shirt up and kissing the newly exposed skin delicately, making the Uchiha's face flush red as he wriggled, practically flailing in the blonde's grip when Naruto's tongue ghosted up Sasuke's spine. Sasuke cried out, the sound part pain, part pleasure, and Sai realized that the demon had sunk his teeth into the skin between the Uchiha's shoulder blades, capturing a section and rolling it between the incisors showily.

"Release him," Sai warned, pulling a kunai, fully intending to use it if he had to. He may not like Sasuke but Sai wasn't about to sit around while the Uchiha was harmed. "I will not ask again, Kyuubi."

At best baiting a demon was a questionable decision but the blonde merely smiled and, with a final lick to presumably soothe the abused skin, Kyuubi released the Uchiha, tossing him to Sai gently just as the apartment's front door banged open. Sakura and Tsunade's alarmed voices rang out into the sudden quiet and the artist quickly shoved Sasuke deep under the bed for cover.

"Keep that blonde bitch away from me." The demon warned, the crimson of its eyes beginning to be usurped by brilliant blue as Naruto regained control of the beast, swallowing all that power down and using it to shove the demon back in its cage. Winking at them playfully, Kyuubi then looked over his shoulder to watch the pair of kunoichi approaching the bedroom, stating loudly, "She will kill the brat if she continues."

Then the demon was gone, leaving Sai alone to deal with the aftermath of its arrival and heal the damage inflicted to Naruto by whatever Tsunade had done.


End file.
